


Hit on Me

by nobodys_pearl



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Aro/Ace Alix, Awkward little cinnamon buns, But don't worry this is meant to be fluffy more than angsty, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Kimax - Freeform, M/M, Making Out, Max has anxiety my dudes, Miraculous Ladybug AU, Panic Attacks, Some Swearing, because i love that headcanon, love sqaure, pro-fighting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-01 23:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 49,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10932126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobodys_pearl/pseuds/nobodys_pearl
Summary: Max Kanté, contrary to his less than sporty appearance, loves sports. His head is full of statistics and he's actually pretty good at predicting how a match will go. That's why he wants to be a sportscaster for the PFL - the pro-fighting league.Le Chien Kim is a natural born sportscaster - he has the enthusiasm, the confidence, and the million dollar smile. He's also a sucker for a challenge, and this Max Kanté seems like a challenge.This unlikely pair begin to work together at the same time two mysterious fighters known as Ladybug and Chat Noir enter the pro-fighting arena. As punches fly down in the ring, it's really what happens in the sportscasting booth that's a lot more interesting.





	1. In the Elevator

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Miraculous Ladybug AU I've been wanting to do for a while. A lot of Kimax fluff. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy :)

“Okay Max, you can do it. This will be easy. Just take a deep breath and go through what you want to say, just how you practiced.” Max mumbled to himself, adjusting his glasses as he walked down the long office hallway. He reached the elevators and quickly pushed the button, tapping his foot as he waited for the light above his floor number to flash. It was oddly quiet, and all he could hear was the whirring of the pulley system, bringing the elevator up to his level.

“Why am I so nervous?” Max said to himself, looking at his reflection in the stainless steel doors. He was wearing his best suit, a sleek dark gray one that he picked out only a few weeks ago. He was even wearing his lucky green bow tie – he didn’t believe in luck in the slightest, but he thought that there was a high possibility that it would psychologically affect him, hopefully giving him more confidence. In fact, in one of the dozens of websites he was scrolling through last night, it said that wearing your favorite color could spike the area in your brain that activated…he was getting off topic.

He always did this. The more nervous he was, the more he immersed himself in numbers and statistics until it began to lose focus and forget where he was. In short, it wasn’t helping. He ran a hand through his short brown hair and adjusted his glasses once more, yet another one of his nervous habits. “You’re just talking to the woman.” He said firmly, looking at the elevator doors. “There’s a position open as the new sportscaster for the pro-fighting league, and although you manage the IT department, you are capable of doing the job. No,” Max corrected, looking back at his reflection and standing up straighter, “You _deserve_ this job.”

Then he heard the familiar ding and watched as the elevator doors opened. He straightened his bow tie and stepped into the lift, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that it was empty. People were variables that he just could _not_ deal with right now.

“Hey can you hold it!” A voice called from the hallway, startling Max. He watched dumbly as the doors closed in front of him, but then a hand shot out to hold them open just in time. Max looked down at his shoes in embarrassment as the man entered the elevator. He had gotten lost in his owns thoughts again. Now he looked like a jerk.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to –”

“No worries,” The voice said as the doors closed behind him. Max looked up and was met with a pair of gray eyes. “I got here just in time. I’m pretty fast.” The stranger said with a wink. Max felt something constrict inside his chest. He assumed they were his nerves, reminding him of what he had set out to do.

“It’s really no problem,” The unnamed man said. He looked like he was about Max’s age – early 20s. Max saw the concern in his eyes and realized how tense he must look.

“Sorry!” Max blurted out, fixing his glasses. “I’m just a little stressed today, that’s all.” He admitted, fighting the temptation to adjust this glasses again. He didn’t have OCD, he had been tested at a young age for that, but ever since he was little he always had certain habits that he would always go to in extremely emotionally taxing situations. Apparently .8% of French citizens suffered from some sort of…

“Why are you stressed?”

Max flicked his eyes back to the man looking at him, losing his train of thought. He saw the warmth and sincerity in the stranger’s gaze, and something about it made him a little more relaxed. “I’m asking one of the higher ups for a job change.”

“Well that shouldn’t be too bad.” The man said with a grin, leading against the elevator railing.

“It’s a _big_ change.” Max said with a nervous laugh. Then the elevator doors opened and a woman shuffled in, her nose in her newspaper. She quietly took up the back left corner, not saying a word. Max tried not to be fazed, but he couldn’t help but think, _another variable_.

“What is this job change, if you don’t mind me asking?” The mysterious man with the gray eyes said, cocking his head to the side. He looked genuinely interested in what Max had to say.

“There’s a position open as a pro-fighting sportscaster.”

The man let out a short laugh.

“What?” Max questioned. He watched as the man combed a hand through his black hair. He noticed that a good portion of it was died a nice golden color. He’d never seen hair that looked quite like that, even though about 12% of people dye their hair before the age of 25, 5% of those people being…

“I didn’t peg you as a person who was interested in sports.” The man answered simply.

Max’s whole demeanor changed. He crossed his arms and stood up a bit straighter, although he was still about a foot shorter than the man in front of him. “I’ll have you know that I grew up watching every kind of sport imaginable. I memorized all the rules, all the statistics, the player’s names, the awards won, the records broken –” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “I may not _look_ like I’m interested in sports, but trust me when I tell you I know my stuff.” He looked up at the man with a determined gaze, daring him to misjudge him once more.

Max faltered when he saw the unreadable expression on the man’s face. Something in the guy’s eyes flashed and he shifted off of the railing to stand to his full height.

“That almost sounded like a challenge.” The man said. He looked like he was holding back a grin.

“Maybe it is.” Max shot back, wondering if he was about to get beat up in an elevator. This man was taller and obviously stronger than him, but he was scrappy, he could take him on, right? He glanced at the woman, who was still immersed in her paper. He didn’t think that she would come to his aid if a fight broke out. His throat became very dry all of a sudden.

The man held out his hand, and Max instinctively flinched at the movement. Then he realized that the guy wanted to shake his hand and hastily reached it out, cheeks blazing in embarrassment.

“I’m Le Chien Kim, but you can call me Kim.” The man declared, grasping Max’s hand firmly in his own. Then he leaned over to Max’s eye level. “And I should have you know that I love a challenge.” He said with a 1000 watt smile. Max’s heart skipped a beat, probably due to the fact that his life had flashed before his eyes in the moment that this guy, Kim, had offered his hand. He hadn’t anticipated _this_ , and he was pretty good with probability.

He wasn’t sure what to make of this guy. He was unpredictable, more so than most people. And although, logically, this should have made him more uncomfortable than he _usually_ is around people, it gave him an odd feeling of excitement.

“Who won the French PFL tournament three years ago?”

Max was initially startled by the abrupt question, but then he adjusted his glasses and said easily, “Jean Moreau for the men’s league, Renée Leroy for the women’s.”

“And what was Leroy’s record by the time she won her second championship?” Kim asked, leaning over even further, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“7 losses, 162 wins, a new record for the women’s league, and the men’s for that matter.” Max said without a second thought.

Kim straightened back up, looking impressed. “And what do you think that this year will hold for the PFL?”

Max furrowed his brow in thought. “Well, all of the most well known fighters have retired in the past two years, so there is a void in experience.” Then Max looked back at Kim. “I believe that there is going to be a new talent to come out of the woodwork, someone that nobody expected. Somebody that will make pro-fighting fresh and better than ever.” He declared with confidence.

Kim smiled wide. Then he put his hand on Max’s shoulder. “I think I have some new talent in front of me right now.” Max stared back at him with wide eyes, and then he smiled shyly as well.

“What do you think, Madame Roux?” Kim asked, turning his attention to the woman in the corner.

‘Wait, why does that name sound familiar…’ Max thought to himself.

Suddenly the woman put down her newspaper, revealing a wide grin that rivaled Kim’s. “ _I_ think we found your new partner.”

Max laughed nervously, inching towards the elevator doors. He knew he was heading for one of the higher floors, but this had taken a while, and these overly energetic people were starting to freak him out. Then it clicked.

“Madame Roux!” Max exclaimed. This was the woman he was going to talk to! He wasn’t sure what she looked like, so he didn’t recognize her at first, but she fit the description he read online perfectly, along with the grainy picture on the company’s website.

“The legend herself.” Kim said with a wink.

“Wait, but, I was going to, I mean, I wanted to –” Max began, stumbling over his words. This was not how he planned it at all. Would it even make sense to go through his script now?

“You’ve got the job.” Madame Roux said, scribbling something down on her newspaper. Then she tore a piece off and handed it to Max. “Here’s my number. We expect you to be at Charles’ Arena at 7pm tomorrow. Don’t be late.” With that the elevator doors opened and she walked into the hallway, disappearing in a matter of seconds.

“What just happened?” Max asked himself, clutching his head in one hand and looking down at the piece of newspaper.

“You just became my new partner.” Kim answered, that grin still on his face. “Um, this is your floor, right?” He asked.

“Huh? Oh! Yes, this is where I was heading…” Max mumbled, stepping out of the elevator. “What did you two mean about a partner?”

Kim rested his arm on the front of the elevator, leaning casually towards Max. “I was working for Monsieur Faure before he retired. I got promoted to head sportscaster starting this upcoming season, but I requested a partner. Guess we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other.” He answered with a wink. Max gulped. Then he hastily adjusted his glasses and gripped the piece of newspaper more tightly in his hand.

“Thank you.” Max said, looking intensely at his new co-worker.

Kim dropped his arm from its place on the elevator, looking caught off guard for a moment. Then he broke into one of his blinding smiles. “Don’t thank _me_ , _you_ showed off all your skills. I’m just the one who pushed you a little.” Then he chucked to himself. “I have a feeling this is how this partnership is going to go. I’m looking forward to it.”

Max couldn’t help but smile a little as well. He could feel a sort of electricity in the air, which was odd, since there didn’t seem to be any exposed circuits and the atmosphere was supposed to be uncharacteristically dry today, at least according to his weather app…well, whatever this strange feeling was, he kind of liked it. It was different. Uncharted territory. “I’m looking forward to it too.”

Kim nodded his head and pressed one of the elevator buttons. Soon the doors began to close. “Wait,” He said a moment later, holding open the elevator. “I don’t know your name.”

Max pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stood up straight. “Max Kanté.” He stated.

“Max Kanté.” Kim said to himself, a strange smile on his face. Then he looked back up at the young man before him. “Until next time, Max.” He let the doors close in front of him and soon Max was left alone in the hallway. He watched as the lights above the elevator flashed, and the pulley system whirred once more. Then he took a deep breath.

“Well that was…unexpected.” Max mused, still frozen in place. Who knew something so spontaneous, could turn out so perfectly? For once in his life, he didn’t have a fact or statistic to explain how he was feeling, what had just happened. He found himself struggling to find a word to describe just how gray Kim’s eyes were. Then he shook his head and headed down the hallway, willing his legs to move in a steady rhythm.

He looked down at that piece of newspaper for what might have been the hundredth time. _Charles’ Arena. 7 pm tomorrow_. “I did it.” Max said to himself, unable to hold back his grin. “I really did it!” He repeated, pumping his fist in the air as he tried and failed to reign in his excitement. He had entered the main section of the office at that point and noticed one of the secretaries giving him an odd look. He quickly sobered his expression and gave her a short greeting.

‘Wait.’ Max thought, suddenly realizing something. ‘I came here during my lunch break to talk to Madam Roux, but now that I’ve already gotten the job…’ He rubbed his neck sheepishly. He didn’t need to get off the elevator. Actually, there was no point for him to be on this floor at all. He turned around and walked back the way he came, trying to ignore the puzzled look on the secretary’s face as he left the main room that he had just entered.

‘Well what am I going to do now?’ Max wondered, back in the hallway with the elevators. He had twenty minutes until his break was over. Then he got an idea and pulled out his cell phone.

He scrolled down his contacts until he reached the name he was looking for, tapping his fingers against his thigh as he listened to his phone ring.

“Hiya poindexter.” The voice said on the other end of the line. Max rolled his eyes and smiled.

“I thought we went over this?” Max said, trying and failing to sound disapproving.

“Oh yeah we definitely did, I just chose not to listen.” The voice admitted.

Max chucked. “Alixxxxx.”

“Hey take me as I am or not at all.”

“Then I get to call you Lazytown.” Max declared, biting back his grin.

“Okay, _I may_ have short pink hair, and _I may_ be a little too obsessed with physical activity, but if you call me Lazytown I will not hesitate to kick your ass.”

Max shuddered at the threat. Alix may be shorter than him, but she trained the best pro-fighters in the French league. He wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Noted.” He said, his throat suddenly dry. Then he remembered why he called her in the first place. “So, do you have a minute to talk?”

“Yeah, my new protégé is taking a water break. You’ve gotta check this girl out sometime, Max, she’s going places.”

“Actually I think I’ll be seeing a lot of her in the future…” Max said vaguely, but Alix immediately understood.

“You got the job!” Alix exclaimed, excitement obvious in her voice. “How was it? What did you say? Don’t tell me you used all of those statistics you prepared because we talked about –”

Max laughed. “The plan was trashed before I really started it.” He admitted.

“Really? That’s not like you.” Alix said, puzzled.

“Oh _I_ didn’t trash the plan.” Max said, leaning against the wall. “Le Chien Kim did.”

“Who?”

“Apparently he’s my new partner. And _apparently_ he likes a challenge.” 

“Oh I’m gonna have fun with this guy.” Alix said, and Max could picture the evil grin on her face.

He smiled to himself as he continued to talk to his best friend on the phone. He had a good feeling about all this – a strange, indescribable feeling – but a good feeling nevertheless.

For the rest of the day he couldn’t seem to get those gray eyes out of his head. Whenever he tried to recall one of his many facts and figures, all he could think of were those eyes, and he couldn’t seem to understand why.


	2. In the Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is from Kim's point of view! I plan on alternating the POV with each chapter, which will be fun because they have two very different personalities. 
> 
> Also, I plan on having the chapter titles be places where the two of them flirt, so for this chapter, it's Hit on Me - In the Ring. Lol I just find it cute.
> 
> I hope you are all having a miraculous day! :D

Kim put in his ear buds and zipped up his hoodie. Then he took a deep breath and began his daily afternoon jog.

He ran this morning before work, and usually he would go for his second run right after work at five, but today he decided to put it off until a little later. One, because he wanted to see the sun set, and two, because he was supposed to go to the Charles’ Arena at 7 and it was only two miles away. He might as well save money and skip the taxi ride for today.

He checked his watch – it was 6:10. He’d definitely get there early, which was his plan. He had a bet with Adela on who would get there first the most within a year. Currently he had a pretty good lead. He intended to win.

Adela Roux was like his cool young aunt, with her dark brown bob and signature red lipstick. She was always challenging him and looking out for him. He still remembered two years ago when he started his internship under sports casting legend Monsieur Faure. That was when he met Adela for the first time. He had been bragging to a group of people about how lucky they were to have him, and she had managed to tie his shoelaces together without him noticing. When she asked him to get her a coffee, he tripped and fell quite ungracefully on the padded floor. The only thing that was hurt was his pride, and he learned early on not to mess with Adela.

He looked both ways before crossing the street. Ahead of him he could see the sun sinking below the horizon. Oranges and pinks spread across the sky, adding color to the cool summer night. Summer would be over soon – the PFL season started in the early fall – and Kim couldn’t be more excited. He had been waiting for his moment in the spotlight ever since he graduated with his sports broadcasting major. He’d wanted this for a long time, and now it was finally happening.

Then he started thinking about his new partner. When Monsieur Faure had told him he was retiring, he couldn’t wait to run the show by himself, to finally get the recognition he deserved. And yet, something nagged at him. He was overcome by this feeling – this feeling of wanting to share this experience with someone.

Now, he never expected his partner to be some scrawny nerd whose brain ran like a Wikipedia page. He thought his partner would be more like him – someone who loved sports and working out and could swap hair care routines. But when he had thought more about it, he realized how boring that would be. Besides, Le Chien Kim was one of a kind, he couldn’t expect to find anyone who could meet his caliber of perfection. That’s just unrealistic.

Besides, something about this guy, Max, intrigued him. For a majority of the time they talked, he seemed to be in his own world. He was curious to find out more about what exactly that world was. It was almost like Max was daring Kim to figure him out – and Kim loved a good dare.

A slow smile spread across his face as he spotted the arena in the distance. Running always relaxed him, even when he was a kid. It gave him a sense of control, a goal. He hated not having a direction, not having something to do. He wanted to keep moving, keep pushing, keep _racing_. Because the moment he stopped he would have to let his thoughts catch up to him. He would much rather just move onto the next thing.

Some people called him brash, impulsive even, but he liked to say that he was motivated.

He picked up his speed and turned the next corner, almost at his destination. He had jogged this route so many times, it was second nature to him at this point. He saw the large entrance before him and his smile grew wider. This was home.

He made it to the front door and checked his watch – 6:30.

“Perfect.” He said to himself. Then he strolled into the arena and took the familiar stairways to get to the actual ring. It wasn’t until he reached the ground level that he realized that he wasn’t alone.

“Max?” Kim asked, looking at the young man who was admiring the colored lights on the ceiling. He was standing in the middle of the ring, surrounded by an empty audience.

Max snapped out of his daydream and flicked his eyes towards Kim. “Sorry, the door was open so I thought I would let myself in.” He explained, adjusting his glasses. “Actually, I was quite surprised to find the lack of security in this facility, most sports complexes such as these have at least three to four personnel watching over the area at all times…” He trailed off. It looked like he was still taking it all in.

Kim smiled and walked over from the doorway, coming to stop right outside of the ring. “I’ll have to ask Adela to look into that.” He rested his arms on the platform and looked up at Max. “What’re you doing here so early anyway?”

“It is common etiquette to arrive at a predetermined location at least 15 minutes beforehand.” Max began. Then he looked away, and Kim could’ve sworn that there was a slight blush on his cheeks. “I thought that coming 45 minutes early would triple my politeness.”

Kim let out a surprised laugh. “You were going to wait here for 45 minutes?!” He exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in disbelief.

Max refused to meet his eyes. “Yes.”

Kim shook his head, a grin on his face. “Well now you’re making me look bad.”

Max looked at him with startled eyes. “That wasn’t my intention!”

Kim pulled himself up onto the platform and ducked his head under the ropes, coming to stand in the ring. “I know it wasn’t. I’m just gonna have to step up my game.”

Max gave him an uncertain smile and looked down at his shoes, adjusting his glasses once more.

“So what do you think of the place? Beautiful, isn’t it?” Kim said, looking up at the rows and rows of seats. The arena was mostly dark expect for the ring, but it was still quite a sight.

“It’s certainly exceeded any expectation.” Max agreed, looking around as well.

“This place kind of makes it feel like anything is possible, like any goal can be reached.” Kim observed with a fond smile. He’d never forget the first time he stepped foot in this place as a kid. It was the day it first opened. It was the day he realized he wanted to be a sportscaster.

“Indeed it does.” Max said. Kim glanced over to look at him. He watched as Max’s wide eyes looked around, a small but genuine smile on his face. He felt something flutter in his chest, and he quickly coughed and turned away.

“So what job did you have before this, anyway?” Kim asked, moving to lean against the ropes.

“I manage the IT department back at the main building.”

Kim quirked an eyebrow in surprise. “You weren’t kidding when you said that this would be a big change.” Max only nodded his head in affirmation. “So who’s going to take your place?”

Max moved like he was about to fix his glasses again, but then he clasped his hands behind his back and looked out at the stands. “I will be helping out in the department when I can, and I will be teaching my second-in-command Sabrina Raincomprix the ropes until I am satisfied that she can lead the team on her own. She’s a quick learner though so I doubt that it will take long.”

“Does she have glasses too?” Kim teased.

Max rolled his eyes and muttered a quiet “Yes.” Kim pumped his fist in victory.

“Not all people who wear glasses are nerds you know. The scientific correlation between eyesight and field of interest is not very strong.”

“Yeah but think about it. Kids who wear glasses can’t see very well. So, they’re probably not as likely to play sports. _So_ , they need something else to fill their time. Hence, nerd stuff.” Kim pointed out, still leaning on the ropes. “Furthermore, people who like nerd stuff are usually on their computers or looking at other screens a lot, right? And that can affect their eyesight and therefore cause them to need glasses.”

Max furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, slight frustration evident in his expression. “That was highly unscientific,” he began, “but you _do_ have a point.”

Kim pumped his fist in victory once more. Then one of the doors to the arena opened. Kim’s grin grew wider as he saw Adela walk up to them.

“Looks like I’m pulling ahead!” Kim called down to her.

She looked up at him and stuck out her tongue. “There was traffic. I’ll beat you next time, that’s a promise.”

“We’ll see.” Kim said, that wide smile still plastered on his face. Then he noticed Max’s puzzled expression.

“We have a bet going to see who can come to the arena first the most within a year.” Kim explained, pulling out his phone and opening his notes. “It _was_ 94-126, but now I’m even more in the lead.”

“You’re just too good.” Adela said with a smirk.

Max burst out laughing, and Adela and Kim turned to look at him with confused expressions.

“I’m sorry.” Max said between laughs, wiping away a tear. “You know she’s just tricking you into coming here early right? This is just a tactic to make sure that you’re not late all the time.”

Kim’s eyes widened and he looked down at Adela, who wouldn’t meet his gaze. The next few moments there was only silence.

“This whole time?!” Kim blurted out, one hand on his head in disbelief. He could hear Max still laughing quietly somewhere behind him. She finally looked at him and gave him a guilty smile.

Kim’s mouth gaped open in shock, and he stood up straight. “Betrayal!” was all that he could say. Adela began to laugh behind her hand.

Kim looked between Max and Adela. “This is no laughing matter! Do you know the times that I have gotten up an _hour_ early to get here before you in the mornings?! I got up at 4:00 am one time when we were tied!” He heard Adela snort. “I’m disowning you!” He declared.

“We’re not actually related.” Adela pointed out with a grin, putting a hand on her hip.

“Well, I’m not making you Christmas cookies for the holiday anymore!” Kim said, crossing his arms and looking away.

“Awww, nooooo, you know I love your cookies!” Adela said, putting her arms on the platform and looking up at Kim with puppy dog eyes. “I know you’re not this cruel. I raised you better than that.”

Kim gave in and looked down at her. “Fine. But I’m not coming in early anymore.”

“As long as you come in on time that’s fine by me.” Adela said with a smile, straightening to stand back up. “Thank you Max, by the way, for ruining my perfect plan.” She said with a dry expression.

“My pleasure.” Max replied seriously, but Kim could see the glimmer of amusement in his eyes. It was getting easier for Kim to pick up on when Max was joking or not. And he also realized that he really like it when Max laughed.

“Okay boys, let’s head up to where you’ll be working.” Adela said, heading for one of the stairways. Kim easily ducked under the ropes and jumped down to the ground. He turned around and saw that Max was a little more hesitant.

“You got up there, you knew that you’d have to come down eventually right?” Kim asked with a smirk.

“Obviously.” Max said, glaring down at the drop.

“Here, let me help.” Kim said, offering his hand. Max looked down at it for a moment, and then he took it. Kim couldn’t help but notice how warm Max’s hand was, how comfortable it fit in his own.

Max carefully ducked under the ropes and with Kim’s help dropped down to the ground beside him.

“Thank you.” He said, looking at Kim. Then he noticed that they were still holding hands.

Kim blushed and quickly let go. “No problem, dude.” He replied, shooting finger guns before following Adela to the stairway. Max was right behind him.

“So this is The Booth, as we like to call it.” Adela declared, opening the door to the room and stepping inside. Kim strolled in and sat in his favorite chair. He watched as Max slowly took it in. It was almost as if he was committing every detail to memory.

“This is so cool.” Max breathed.

Kim leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “Oh yeah, this is practically my second home. I think my name is carved somewhere under this table.” He bragged.

“Oh please, Monsieur Faure would never let you in here while he was working. He said you were too, what was it? Oh yeah, distracting.” Adela said with a grin.

Kim deflated a bit. “He let me bring his coffee in here, and his lunch, sometimes.” He mumbled. But Adela was right. Although he worked closely with Monsieur Faure, he was never allowed to really be a part of the action. Monsieur Faure would always tell him that ‘his time will come’, and that he didn’t want to ‘spoil the magic’ too early. Whatever that meant.

“You can take a seat too, Max.” Adela said, giving Max an encouraging smile.

“Thank you, Madame Roux.”

“Please, call me Adela. Madame Roux is the name of an old person.”

“Well you _are_ in your early thirties, that’s pretty old if you ask me.” Kim said, doing a quick spin in his chair.

“And I can’t believe that you’re almost 24. If I didn’t know you my guess would be an early 12.”

Kim stuck out his tongue while Max took a seat in the chair next to him.

“I would have guessed that you weren’t older than mid-twenties, Mad-Adela.” Max said.

“ _Suck up_.” Kim coughed out. Max rolled his eyes, but Kim could tell that he was holding back a smirk.

“You know, you two really make a good team.” Adela observed, her hands on her hips. “And it’s good to know that someone will be able to keep this one in check.” She added, looking at Kim.

“It really is lucky that we all ended up in the same elevator.” Kim pointed out.

“So that wasn’t planned?” Max asked, looking at Kim.

Kim laughed. “No. I’m not much of a planner.” Max looked like he didn’t disagree with that assessment. “Adela came in, you started talking about the PFL, and I just kind of improvised from there. It was fate that threw us together.” He said dramatically.

“Fate is just a game of probability and psychology, in my opinion.” Max confessed.

“Oh, such poetry. You must get the girls all hot and bothered when you drop lines like that.” Kim teased.

Max adjusted his glasses. “Possibly, but it’s the male population that I’m more interested in.”

Kim’s smile immediately dropped and he could feel the blush flaring up in his cheeks. He could hear Adela snort behind her hand.

“Looks like you got someone all hot and bothered right now.” She pointed out. Kim shot her a glare but that didn’t wipe the grin off her face.

“What?” Max asked, oblivious to what was going on. Then they heard some voices coming from the ring.

Adela moved to looked out of the window. “Oh, there they are. I have some people that I’d like you to meet.” She said, turning to look between Kim and Max. “Let’s head back down, shall we?”

Kim glanced out the window and saw two people around his age – one of them wore glasses and had a pair of headphones around his neck, while the other also wore glasses and had short ombre hair. They were talking amicably in the middle of the ring.

“Sounds good to me.” Kim said, getting up from his chair and stretching a little. “I always love to dazzle new people.” He shot a smile Max’s way and saw that Max was already looking at him. He fought off a blush and quickly adopted his usual confident smile. “Do you need more help?” He teased, offering his hand once more.

Max pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stood up, smoothing out his pale green button up. “I appreciate the offer, but I am not _totally_ inept.” He said flatly.

Again, Kim saw the glimmer in his eyes. It was almost impossible to pick up on, but Max was _messing_ with him. This guy was hard to read, but little by little Kim was beginning to understand him. And every time it brought him some inexplicable excitement. It gave him that same feeling he had whenever he finished a particularly long run, but he couldn’t find the right word.

“You look a little unsteady, are you sure that _you_ aren’t the one who needs help?” Max observed with a small grin, looking at him with a quirked brow.

Suddenly Kim remembered the word. He felt breathless.


	3. In Front of an Audience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a PSA, I don't really know anything about professional fighting other than what my friend has told me, so bear with me. Also I'm pretty much making up the facts that Max uses *cue gasp* *responsorial shrug*
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy! :D

Kim was acting weirdly, and Max couldn’t seem to pinpoint what exactly was wrong with him. As they headed down the stairs to meet the two guests – which he assumed were going to be their future coworkers in some shape or form – Kim felt the need to clear his throat every few seconds, and he even tripped over his feet on their way out of The Booth.

Max was beginning to wonder if he was sick, or maybe he was having seasonal allergies? It wasn’t uncommon for people to develop throat problems during these months, since the pollen could be oppressive, but he couldn’t imagine what kind of malady could make someone so naturally athletic suddenly so clumsy. It was odd, and nothing in Max’s arsenal of information could figure it out.

Therefore, he reasoned that he should table the quandary for now until new data could be collected. Satisfied with that conclusion, he adjusted his glasses and walked up to meet the two new faces, Adela only a few feet in front of him and Kim lagging behind.

“I’m glad that you two were able to make it.” Adela said with a warm smile, coming to stand next to the two visitors, who by this point had left the ring to stand on the ground floor near the reporters’ table.

“No big deal.” The young man said with a shrug, tapping his fingers against his thigh to a silent rhythm.

“Yeah, we wanted to meet the new recruits anyway.” The young woman said with a smile, her glasses flashing. Max squirmed a bit under her gaze – it was almost like she could see all of his secrets. Not that he _had_ secrets of course, or rather, he didn’t have more than the average person. He read somewhere that most people usually have about 1-2 secrets at any given time, sometimes without realizing that they were concealing something.

He began to wonder if he had some big secret and didn’t realize it. He supposed the fact that he was gay could be considered a secret, but it wasn’t like he wasn’t open to telling people. He’d just told two of his coworkers a few minutes ago.

Then his mind drifted back to Kim – he noticed that his thoughts had a habit of doing that lately. He glanced over and saw that Kim looked better than he did on the way down here – maybe the change in air improved his condition? Now he was giving their two coworkers his usual wide smile and walking up to them with an outstretched hand, saying, “I’m Le Chien Kim, but you can call me Kim.” He winked at both of them.

The woman rolled her eyes and smirked as she shook his hand – she didn’t look impressed. “I’m Alya Cesaire. I’ll be reporting from the ground. I also interview the athletes afterwards.” She declared with a flip of her hair. Then she glanced at the man beside her.

“I’m Nino Lahiffe, I’m the head ref, so I make sure that no one like, dies.” He said with a shrug, shaking Kim’s hand as well.

“He also makes our set lists.” Adela added with a smile, and Nino rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. However, Max could see the pride in his eyes. Then he realized that it was his turn to introduce himself.

“I’m Max Kanté, Kim’s partner.” He said simply, shaking their hands.

“Partner, as in we’re both going to be working in The Booth together.” Kim explained, a slight blush rising from his neck. “Not like, in the other way. You know, he’s not my _partner_.” Kim added, becoming more flustered with each word.

Max turned to face him. “Yes, I think that is quite obvious given the context of our meeting, Kim.” Max pointed out, giving him a puzzled look. Maybe he was more sick than he initially thought.

Then he heard Alya stifle a snicker behind her hand, her eyes flashing with amusement. “I have a good feeling about working with you two.” She said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Then the doors behind them opened and two new people walked inside. One was wearing what Max could only label as being a completely black costume. The young man also had a mask around his eyes and a messy mop of blond hair. Next to the disguised stranger was a young woman with a high ponytail, striking blue eyes, and a stance that told Max that he should keep his distance.

“Oh geez, this is awkward.” The young man said, rubbing the back of his neck. The woman, however, seemed unbothered and walked right up to Adela, ignoring everyone else.

“We have the ring booked for the next hour.” The woman declared, sparing a glance Max’s way. He could easily pick up on her distain as she looked down on him.

“Of course. I was just showing the new sports casters around.” Adela said with the upmost poise. “Actually, is there any chance they can watch you two warm up? It’ll be good for them to get a taste of what they’ll be seeing this season.”

“Anything for my fans.” The young man declared, walking up to Adela to stand beside his companion. “How about it, Chloe?”

“Apologies,” Max said, clearing his throat. All eyes were on him. “Well, it’s just I cannot possibly be a fan of yours, since I have no idea who you are. Are you new to the league?” He asked innocently. He watched as the costumed man before him immediately deflated. Then he heard Kim snort.

“My partner’s got a point.” Kim said. “I’ve been working here for a while, and I have no clue who you are, _or_ why you’re wearing a mask. Is this a new publicity stunt?” He asked, looking at Adela.

“ _This_ is my newest trainee.” The blonde woman, Chloe, stated, crossing her arms. Then Max realized who she was – Chloe Bourgeios, one of the leading PFL trainers. Alix would always complain about her – apparently they had a record of butting heads. But at this point Max assumed that his best friend butted heads with everyone. It was simply a part of her charm, or at least that’s what she would tell him.

“That still doesn’t really explain the black getup.” Kim pointed out politely. “It _is_ super cool though.” He added, giving the fighter a thumbs up.

“I’m glad you like it.” The blond man said, giving him a wink.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “For reasons I am not at liberty to disclose, he has elected to keep his identity a secret to everyone but myself.”

“There’s nothing in the rule book against it.” Adela added. “And it’s not bad advertising either. Picture it: Who is the Man Behind the Fists?” She said, reaching out her arms as if she was gesturing to some large headline.

Max understood what she was saying. People were naturally drawn in by mystery, so it would probably increase profits.

“In fact, there is actually one more new fighter that has decided to keep their identity concealed.” Adela said. The costumed man perked up at that.

“I guess I have a copycat.” He mused aloud with a grin. Max could tell that he was interested in meeting this person.

“So what do we call you?” Alya inquired, putting a hand on her hip.

“Chat Noir, at your service.” He said, giving her a bow. She scoffed. Nino kept tapping his thigh to an unknown beat.

“So are we going to get to see you in action?” Nino asked after a moment, looking at Chat Noir.

Chat Noir glanced at Chloe, who gave him a small nod. Then he lifted himself up into the ring, Chloe right behind him.

“I don’t want to dazzleyou _too_ much right now, I've got to save it for the first match, but I can show you guys some of my moves.” Chat Noir said with some bravado. Max could tell that he was flexing a little.

“Get a load of this guy.” Kim said, moving to stand next to Max. Max only scoffed as they both faced towards the ring.

“What?” Kim asked, turning to look at Max.

“Come on, he sounds just like you. You even have the same grin.” Max pointed out, glancing at Kim.

Kim pouted and crossed his arms. “Wow, thanks.”

Max’s gaze softened and he put a hand on Kim’s arm. He was startled for a moment by how firm it was, but then he swallowed and said, “I didn’t mean it as an insult. Confidence is a good thing.”

Kim glanced down at Max’s hand, and then looked back up. “Thanks.” His said softly, his eyes a little wider than they were before.

Max moved his hand away and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Yes, humans are very social creatures, so the ability to navigate and even dominate a crowd of people can be very advantageous. Confidence is an efficient tool that can be used to achieve that goal, so, in conclusion, it is a beneficial characteristic to have.”

Kim squinted his eyes in thought as he turned to look back at the ring. “Uh, right.”

“I think you fried his brain.” Alya whispered to Max, trying to hide the amusement behind her hand.

Max rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Yeah, computers are easy. People are, not so easy.” He admitted quietly.

“I feel that.” Nino said as he moved next to Alya. He held out his fist and after a moment of confusion Max tapped it with his own.

“Okay, let’s do this!” Chat Noir declared, adjusting his fingerless gloves and moving to get into a proper fighting stance. Chloe was only a few feet away from him, her knees bent and her arms poised to strike. Max analyzed the image before him.

“It looks like most of his weight is on his right foot and his torso is slightly turned, so he’ll probably start with a right hook. That _is_ what 73% of fighters tend to do first. However, his line of sight doesn’t show him looking at her face, but rather he’s glancing at her legs.” Max muttered under his breath. Then it clicked.

“He’s going to feign a punch and then try to sweep her off her feet with his leg.” Max declared.

“Ready, and fight!” Adela declared from outside of the ring. Chat Noir lifted his right arm like he was about to strike, and Chloe raised her arms to block out of reflex, but then he dropped down with lightening fast speed and swung his leg to hit her feet. Chloe saw this and jumped out of the way just in time, but it was close. He almost got her.

“How did you know?” Kim asked as the fight continued on. Max realized that he was talking to him.

“What do you mean?” Max said, looking at Kim.

“You knew he was going to fake and then go for the sweep instead, how?”

Max shrugged and looked away, a little embarrassed. “Probability I guess. It’s what made the most sense with the data I could perceive.”

“Don’t downplay it man! That was awesome!” Kim declared, his eyes bright. Max felt his face getting warmer. Those gray eyes again. And that smile. Everything about Kim was so inexplicably bright. He didn’t understand it.

“Th-thank you.” Max stuttered out. Then he looked back at the ring and saw Chat Noir go in for an uppercut, only to be swept off his feet by Chloe’s leg.

“You used my move against me!” Chat protested on the ground, lifting himself up with his elbows.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Chloe’s mouth and she bent over her trainee. “You always have to be prepared for someone to use your moves against you in a fight. It’s not about being original; it’s about being the last one standing.” Then she held out her hand. “You’re getting better though; you’ll be ready for the real fights soon. And you’re going to win.” Max saw a gleam of pride in her eyes.

Chat grinned and accepted her hand. With her help he got back on his feet. “All thanks to you, Chlo.”

“That was great. We haven’t had raw, young talent like this in a while.” Adela said. She sounded impressed, and Max couldn’t help but agree with her. This guy was a natural, he had a feeling that he’d be seeing a lot of him in the ring.

“That was super cool bro, I look forward to sharing the ring with you.” Nino said, tipping his hat.

“Just make sure to save some energy for the post-fight interviews, I’m sure the fans will want to get to know you.” Alya said, looking up from her phone to give him a wink. She looked like she was typing out some notes.

“I know that I’m not supposed to be biased, but I’ll be rooting for you. You’re awesome!” Kim declared, pumping his fists. Chat gave him a wide grin. Yeah, those two were a lot alike, Max mused.

“Well one of us will have to do our job and not show favoritism,” Max said, glancing at Kim.“But you _are_ an excellent fighter. You have a very unique style. It’s exciting to watch.”

Chat rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his shoes. “Wow, thanks guys. I’m looking forward to the season.”

“Keep your head up, you’re going to have to get used to all eyes on you when you step into this ring.” Chloe said sternly, but Max could tell there was a hint of affection in her eyes.

Chat stood up straighter. “Right.” He said, nodding his head.

“Okay, we will leave you two to train. Good luck and I look forward to seeing you two in the coming weeks.” Adela said, clapping her hands together. Then she turned to Alya and Nino. “Thanks again for stopping by, I’ll see you two tomorrow to talk logistics?”

“Of course.” Alya said. Nino simply nodded his head in affirmation.

“Perfect.” Adela said with a smile. Then she faced Max and Kim. “I have to stay here a little longer to do some paperwork, but you’re both free to go. I hope this visit was beneficial.” She directed the last statement at Max.

“Yes, very. I’m looking forward to working with you all.” Max said, adjusting his glasses.

Adela gave him one last smile, and Chat Noir even gave them a wave before Kim and Max headed for the exit door.

“So what’d you think? It’s an awesome place to work right?” Kim said, bouncing a little with each step. They went through the doors and Max felt the cool breeze on his face. It was almost dark.

“It’s a dream come true.” Max answered honestly, looking out into the street with a small smile.

“Hey,” Kim said softly after a moment, fidgeting with his hands. Max could sense a sudden tenseness in his shoulders. “Would you maybe want to get dinner together?”

Max’s eyes widened. That’s not what he was expecting. “Right now?”

“It’s okay if you can’t I just thought –”

“That’s a great idea.” Max interrupted.

Kim snapped his head to look at him. “You think?”

“Of course. It would only make sense for the two of us to become more comfortable with each other now, so that our teamwork is at optimum efficiency once the season starts.”

Kim looked at him for a moment and then looked at his shoes, letting out a small laugh. “Exactly. You read my mind.” He said, but Max could sense a hint of disappointment.

“I have a good feeling about this. About us.” Max said quickly, hoping that he was saying the right thing. He never knew if he was saying the right things, only when they were facts or statistics. Everything else was uncertain. And yet he was starting to realize that he usually liked the uncertain things more.

Kim looked up at him in surprise, and then a warm smile spread across his face. “You _are_ scarily good at predictions.” He pointed out. “So you must be right about his one too.”

“So did you have a place in mind?” Max asked.

“For what?”

“Dinner.”

“Oh, right.” Kim said, kicking a pebble down the street. Then he looked back at Max and grinned. “Follow me.”


	4. In a Café

If he was being perfectly honest, Kim was still surprised that Max had said yes. He hadn’t planned this far ahead. He hadn’t even thought through asking him out to dinner in the first place, it just kind of happened. It was moments like these when he fully realized how much trouble his impulsive nature could get him into.

As they approached the café up the street, Max a few paces behind as he struggled to keep up with Kim’s long strides, thoughts kept racing through Kim’s head. It reminded him of his days on his lyceé track team, dozens of athletes running around and around in circles on a never-ending loop of synthetic, rubbery material.

‘Why did I do this? Is-is this a date?’ Kim thought, almost stumbling over his feet. Then he clenched his fists. ‘No, it’s simply so that our teamwork is, like, super efficient or whatever Max said. Yeah, that’s all.’ Kim reasoned, nodding his head.

‘Then why am I so nervous?’ He stopped suddenly, and Max ran into his back. Kim turned around and rubbed his neck sheepishly.

“Sorry,” Kim apologized, then he pointed at the sign above his head. “We’re here.”

Max gave him a peculiar look and adjusted his glasses. “Are you feeling okay?”

Kim’s eyes widened. “Wh-what do you mean?” He shifted uncomfortably as Max continued to look him over.

“You’ve seemed kind of off today. I don’t have much data to go off of, but you definitely have been acting differently than you did in the elevator.”

“Oh, I’ve uh, been feeling a little under the weather. You know how those seasonal allergies can be.” Kim said with his most convincing smile.

Max simply hummed in what Kim could only assume was agreement. “Shall we sit down then?”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Kim glanced at the tables outside. The weather was perfect for outside dining, but they had come during the dinner rush so none of the tables were open. He tried to hide his disappointment. It really was a beautiful night.

“It’ll be better to eat inside anyway.” Max said. Kim wondered if his coworker could read minds as well as predict the future. “You know, because of your _allergies_.”

“Huh? I mean, yeah, you’re right.” Kim stumbled out, opening the door. “After you.” He said, gesturing inside. Max gave him a small smile and walked into the café. They took an empty table near the back, and outside the window they could see the Charles Arena in the distance.

Kim watched as Max opened a menu and scanned the page, his eyes moving back and forth. Kim could almost see the gears whirring in his head, and he wouldn’t be surprised if steam started coming out of his coworker’s ears. Then he glanced down at his own menu.

“You don’t have seasonal allergies, do you?” Max asked. Kim snapped his head up to look at him, but his eyes were still on his menu.

“What do you mean?”

“I have a hard time picking up on emotions, but I’m not completely devoid of social skills. I can pick up on things eventually, and it seems like something is bothering you.”

Kim waited as the waiter brought them a bottle of water. Then he filled his glass. “Nothing is bothering me.” Kim said, releasing a short laugh in an attempt to ease the tension. Then he raised his glass to his lips and took a sip. The little track stars in his head began to run faster.

“Is it because I’m gay?”

Kim choked on his water. “W-what?” He said between coughs.

Max put down his menu and looked at Kim. “It’s okay if it is. I know people need some time to – adjust – when I tell them.”

“No!” Kim exclaimed. Then he blushed and smoothed out the napkin in front of him nervously. “Trust me, it’s not that. You being gay isn’t a problem or anything. I mean,” Kim said, struggling to find the right words. Then he took a deep breath. “If anything it’s nice to know that we have something in common.”

“What do you mean?” Max asked, quirking his brow.

“I’m bisexual.” Kim said casually. “Or as Adela puts it, a ‘raging bisexual’ since she thinks that I’ll flirt with anyone I meet.” Kim added, rolling his eyes. “I like to say that I have a lot of love to give.” Then he chuckled to himself.

“What?” Max asked, curious eyes on him.

Kim laughed again. “I’m just imagining how those asshole, steroid-junkies would react if they knew that two gay men were doing the commentating on their favorite sport. They’d probably pop a vessel.” Then he erupted into more laughter.

“They’d be absolutely florid with anger.” Max agreed with a soft laugh of his own. Then he looked thoughtful for a moment. “Wow, two gay sportscasters, who knew the PFL was so progressive?”

“Actually,” Kim said, becoming more serious. “The PFL has always been quite ahead of its time. We’ve had a female league ever since it was founded almost seventy years ago. And now some of the tournaments are even co-ed.” He leaned back in his chair. “The champion five years ago was trans, I’m surprised you never heard about that. It was all over the news.”

“I had to study a lot that year. A lot of code to learn. Didn’t really give me much time for anything else.” Max said, looking down. Kim could see a slight blush on his cheeks.

“Hey, I get it. That was a busy year for me too, now that I think about it. The bottom line is that the PFL is actually a lot more accepting than other leagues. I don’t think that we’ll run into much trouble if it comes out that we’re gay.” Kim said with a reassuring smile. “Although, it _would_ be fun to get into a fight with a juiced-up fan…”

“That is not happening.” Max said, giving him a withering look. Kim responded with a wide smile. They sat like that in silence for a moment.

“So, why _did_ you act so strangely today?” Max asked quietly.

Kim ran a hand through his hair as he tried to come up with the right words. “I mean, you’re so put together and smart – like, freaky smart, I mean how did you know the exact moves that Chat Noir was going to use?” He exclaimed, then he realized that he was getting off topic and straightened up in his seat. “And you’re funny too. And good at a lot of things apparently. I guess I’m just…intimidated.”

Max covered his hand as he began to laugh. “What?” Kim asked, not expecting that response.

“ _You’re_ intimidated by _me_?” Max said, letting out a snort that Kim couldn’t help but find adorable. “You’re like a foot taller than me! And just look at yourself!” He said, gesturing to Kim’s chest. “You could squash me with your bare hands!”

Kim smiled at the compliment, and then that smile quickly shifted into a grin as he leaned forward in his seat. “Have you been checking me out?” He asked, quirking a brow. He could see the blush creep up Max’s neck.

“You know I like to collect data…” Max mumbled.

“Oh, you can collect as much data as you want.” Kim said with a wink.

Max rolled his eyes and opened up his menu once more, moving it so that it covered his face. “I think I’m good.”

Kim laughed and opened his menu as well.

“I’m glad that we’re good though.” Max said from behind his menu. “As – difficult – as this Kim can be, I like this version of you better. You seem more at ease than you were before.”

Kim smiled to himself. “Yeah, I’m sorry about earlier. I don’t usually get like that I promise. I like to keep moving, you know?”

“Then I guess I’m weirdly honored that I was able to stop you for a moment.” Max said, then he chuckled.

“What?”

“I guess this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.”

Kim laughed as well. “I guess you're right. I wouldn’t call you _immovable_ though.”

“I guess I’ll have to prove it to you then.” Max said simply. And yet something about that casual reply made Kim’s heart skip a beat.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Max?!” A voice said from the middle of the café. Kim couldn’t see where it was coming from. Then a short, pink-haired girl about their age materialized from the crowd and gave Max a friendly noogie. “What’re you doing here?”

Max laughed and batted her away. “I was at the arena and my coworker suggested that we have dinner together.” He explained.

What Kim could only assume was Max’s friend looked him up and down. “So this is _Le Chien Kim_?” She asked, putting emphasis on his name.

“The one and only.” Kim said, putting on his most charming smile. “It looks like Max has already been gushing about me.” He gave Max a wink.

“Nah.” The girl said, coming to sit next to Max. She put her hands behind her head and looked out the window, seemingly uninterested in the guy in front of her. “He just told me how dumb your haircut is.”

Kim instinctively touched his hair, grabbing one of the spoons with his free hand to check his reflection.

“Alix, play nice.” Max scolded. Then he turned to look at Kim. “I didn’t say that.”

“I was paraphrasing.” The pest – Alix – said, giving Kim a wink as she slouched in her chair.

“Who is this?” Kim said politely, putting down his spoon. He had to stop himself from saying ‘What’ instead of ‘Who’.

Max sighed and smiled. “This is my best friend Alix Kubdel. She’s one of the PFL trainers; I’m surprised that the two of you haven’t crossed paths.”

“I never got the chance to meet many trainers during my internship.” Kim replied with a shrug. When he thought about it, employment had changed a lot the past two years. People were retiring, young people became more interested in the business – it was hard to keep track of it all. But maybe it was his own fault that he hadn’t been paying more attention to the people around him. He thought about that for a moment.

“It must break your heart that you’ve been deprived of my presence for _so long_.” Alix said, dragging out the last two words as she put her hands dramatically against her chest. Kim watched as Max tried to hide his smirk.

“Oh, it’s absolutely shattered. I don’t know how I would’ve gone on if we hadn’t met tonight.” Kim said dryly.

Alix straightened up in her seat. “I like this guy. He’s fun.” She said to Max.

“I’m glad I have your approval.” Kim said, rolling his eyes. But honestly he kind of liked this girl. She was interesting, and if she was friends with Max she had to be pretty cool. Even if she _did_ make fun of his hair.

“So the Jolly Green Giant is paying right?” Alix asked Max, taking his menu.

“I could beat you up you know. You’re even shorter than Max.” Kim declared, crossing his arms.

“No, you really couldn’t.” Alix said, lifting her eyes to look at Kim. He could see the challenge in them.

“Yeah, you don’t really stand a chance.” Max confessed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Betrayed by my own partner.” Kim said, putting a hand on his chest in surprise.

“I was his best friend long before you two were _partners_.” Alix pointed out as she combed through the menu. Kim noticed the inflection in her voice when she said ‘partners’. It made Kim’s cheeks feel warm.

“And also realistically you would lose. Fighting people _is_ her job.” Max pointed out honestly. Alix raised her hand like she wanted Max to high five her, but he gently put it down. “I’m just telling you for your safety.” Max said to Kim.

Kim huffed and crossed his arms. “Never bet against Le Chien Kim.”

“Oooooo, using your full name _and_ the third person, I’m positively shaking in my combat boots.” Alix said, flipping onto the next page of the menu.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you here anyway? I thought you had a session with that new pupil?” Max asked.

Alix closed the menu and set it down, looking at her friend. “Yeah, but she’s been pushing herself too hard so I let her go home early for the night. And I thought that _I’d_ treat myself to a nice meal. I didn’t know that you’d be here, or that _the_ Le Chien Kim would be so nice as to pay for me.” She said, smiling sweetly at Kim from across the table.

Kim scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

“We’ll see.” Alix said with a wink, then she put on a more serious expression. “You two should keep an eye on my new protégé, she’s going places.” She said, looking between Max and Kim.

“What’s her name?” Max asked.

Alix wagged a finger and smiled mysteriously. “I can’t tell.”

“Oh, so she’s the other anonymous fighter.” Kim said. “Does she have a cat costume too?”

Alix crinkled her nose. “Ew no. Wait, does the other one wear a cat costume?” She asked, leaning back in her chair. “That’s hilarious.” She swiped Max’s glass and took a sip of water. Kim watched as Max rolled his eyes and smiled. “Her costume isn't exactly _my_ style, but it suits her. You’ll just have to wait and see for yourself.”

“How about tomorrow? We got to sit in on part of Chat Noir’s practice, can we see some of yours?” Max asked, looking at Alix with wide, pleading eyes.

Alix looked at her friend for a moment, and Kim didn’t think she’d give in, but then she slumped her shoulders and smiled. “I can’t say no to you. It’s like the equivalent of kicking a puppy.”

Max pumped his fist in triumph. “You’re the best.”

“I know.” Alix said. Kim could see the warmth in her eyes. “Tomorrow. 9am. Don’t be late or else.” She said, looking between Kim and Max.

Max nodded his head and Kim gave her a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”

“So this, Chat Noir,” Alix asked slowly, taking another sip from Max’s glass. “Who’s his trainer anyway?”

Max rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, uh –” He began, dragging out his words.

“It’s Chloe, isn’t it?” Alix said flatly, looking at her friend. Max’s expression was all the confirmation she needed. Kim watched as she slumped further in her seat, a dramatic groan escaping her lips as she traveled further and further down. Soon he could only see her pink hair sticking out from above the table.

“It can’t be too bad, right?” Max said, trying to console his friend. Alix only groaned in response. After a moment she straightened back up in her seat and put her arms on the table in despair. And Kim thought that _he_ could be dramatic.

“Okay. So this is how it’s going to be.” Alix finally said, looking at Max. “If I say the word ‘orange’, that means I need you to hold me back because I’m about to murder her.” She explained simply.

“I don’t think I’m strong enough for that.” Max answered honestly. Alix turned to look at Kim.

“If I say the word ‘orange’ –”

“Yeah I got it.” Kim said, rolling his eyes and trying to suppress his smirk.

“I think you need a better code word.” Max said seriously, adjusting his glasses. “I’m quite partial to using ‘Lazyto-”

Suddenly Alix had Max in a headlock, and Kim would’ve intervened if Max wasn’t dying with laughter.

“I told you not to use that word poindexter!” Alix said, grinning as she kept her grip on Max.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry!” Max said, still laughing.

Kim didn’t really understand what was going on, but he smiled as he watched them. He liked hanging out with these two. It was in that moment that he realized that he made a good decision when he chose to have a partner. He’d been running the track of life alone for so long, it was time to have some teammates. It was time to have some friends.

“Are you three ready to order?” The waiter asked, standing in front of them. He glanced down to see Alix and Max play fighting, and Alix straightened up and put on her best smile.

“Yes we are, Monsieur.”

In the end, Kim ended up paying for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kim is 100% bi like it's pretty much canon. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed <3


	5. On the Phone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's ML Blackout week so I'm not going to post this on tumblr until later. I wanted to update though because I feel like everyone needs some fluff <3

Max turned the key in the lock and stepped through his apartment door, sighing as he felt the exhaustion from the day seep into him.

He put his keys on the nearest table and flopped down on his couch.

“It’s good to be home.” He said to himself, lying on his back and looking at the ceiling. And yet as he was saying that he felt a pang in his chest. Having dinner with Alix and Kim had felt so _natural_. When they had finally part ways he realized that he didn’t want to leave. And that was a first for him, since social interaction usually tired him out quickly.

As he thought about dinner a smile began to spread on his face. The arguing, the conversation, the laughter that seemed to bubble over everything – it was all so, nice? No, the word that Max was looking for was _needed_. He needed more of it, he _wanted_ more of it.

Because when he was with them he didn’t overthink things, he didn’t feel the need to armor himself with statistics, he didn’t feel like the world was too big, or the restaurant too loud, or that everything was just _too much_.

He felt like he wasn’t a glitch in the system.

He stretched out his arms and sat back up on the couch. His apartment was quiet, and the silence of it all made him uncomfortable, it always had. Because he felt the need to fill it, and he would fill it with his thoughts until every room was full of himself. Full of his fears and his questions and his facts. And no one was there to pull him out.

Then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. With a curious frown he pulled it out and checked the screen.

**Kim: Hey! Dinner was fun, we should do it again some time! It can be like a bonding thing :p**

Max scoffed. “Emojis? Really?” Then he sat up straighter and began typing out a response.

_Max: Yes we should. Sorry about you paying for us again. Alix can be…well, Alix._

A few second later and his phone lit up once more.

**Kim: Yeah I noticed -_- It’s okay though, at least I got your number out of it ;)**

Max made a choking noise in his throat. “How am I supposed to respond to that?” He mumbled. He was about to reply but then he hesitated. He watched as the speech bubble popped up – Kim was typing again.

**Kim: Sorry wow that really forward of me wasn’t it?? Just forget I said that it was weird**

Max smiled. At least he knew he wasn’t the only socially awkward one. Then he had an idea.

_Max: What do you mean? It is very advantageous for us to exchange our contact information, we will be working together, after all. This will allow us optimum efficiency in communication and collaboration._

Max hid his smirk behind his hand as he sent that last text. He waited for Kim’s response. He laughed to himself as the typing bubble kept appearing and disappearing.

**Kim: Right. That’s what I was going for. Communication is key is what I always say**

Max laughed again and shook his head. He kind of felt bad for messing with him, but Kim made it too easy.

_Max: Yes, as coworkers we must maintain maximum teamwork in order to achieve our goals. It was astute of you to realize that cellular communication is a necessary tool to continue on our path to success._

Max bit his lip as he pressed the ‘send’ button. He waited a full minute for Kim to respond.

**Kim: You’re messing with me, aren’t you?**

Max smiled wide as he looked at his phone.

_Max: Yep_

**Kim: -_-**

**Kim: Now I get how you and Alix are friends**

Max kept smiling and then took a deep breath.

_Max: I know I can be kind of serious sometimes, and I have way too many facts in my head, but I’m not a robot, I promise._

_Max: :p_

**Kim: Haha I never thought you were. It’d be a shame if you were though.**

_Max: Why is that?_

**Kim: Cuz then you’d like betray me and take over the world. That’d put a strain on our friendship.**

Max felt a flutter in his chest when he read the word ‘friend’.

_Max: So we’re friends?_

**Kim: I mean yeah, unless you don’t want to be?**

Max stood up from the couch and started to type furiously.

_Max: No!_

_Max: I mean, yes we’re friends!_

_Max: Sorry, I’m just bad at this._

**Kim: Bad at what?**

_Max: You must have noticed by now that people confuse me sometimes. Computers are way easier to understand_

**Kim: U seem to get me just fine, and Adela says im ‘difficult’ so that’s saying something**

_Max: Trust me, im the difficult one. Always have been_

**Kim: Then we have something in common :p**

**Kim: And it’s okay if you don’t get people all the time, we’re in this together right?**

Max watched the type bubble.

**Kim: You see things that I don’t, and I see things that you don’t. We can help each other out. We can fill in each other’s gaps. That’s what partners do.**

**Kim: And friends.**

Max looked at his phone for a minute. He felt a weird sensation in his chest, and he couldn’t quite figure out what it was. He didn’t mind it though. It was actually kind of…nice.

_Max: Thanks Kim. You’re a good friend._

**Kim: No problem. Just keep this in mind when the robots do take over. It’d be nice to have a computer genius have my back :p**

_Max: Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow_

**Kim: Goodnight Max :)**

Max turned off his phone and put in on the table. Then he realized that he was smiling. He listened to the quiet of his apartment again, and for once it wasn’t so bad. His head felt clearer – like Kim had somehow swept away the tangled mess of his thoughts with a few simple words.

Max walked over to his bathroom, set down his glasses, and splashed some water on his face. His face was really warm for some reason. He couldn’t stop thinking about those silly emojis.

“We can fill each other’s gaps.” Max said to himself, a fondness in his voice. “Yeah.”

 

 

Max decided that the smell of the inside of the Charles’ Area was both his favorite and least favorite smell. It was his least favorite because a bad mix of sweat and popcorn always assaulted his nostrils once he opened the door.

And it was his favorite because it already made him feel at home.

He had just opened one of the side entrances when he heard a voice call his name from down the street.

“Hey Max! Looks like I got here just in time!” Kim said, jogging to catch up to his partner. Max noticed that he was wearing sweats and a tank top, and had an earbud in his ear.

“Were you just on a jog?” Max asked, trying not to stare at the sweat on his collarbone.

“Yeah, I woke up early and couldn’t go back to sleep so I decided to go for a run. It helps me clear my head, you know?”

“I honestly don’t think I’ve ever run voluntarily in my life.” Max said. Kim laughed, and then sobered his expression when he realized that Max was being completely serious.

“You should do it sometime! It definitely helps me when I have too much on my mind, or I have too much energy and I don’t know what to do with it.” Kim confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. Max watched the muscles in his arm tighten. Then he blinked a few times and adjusted his glasses.

“Maybe I will. It sounds…nice.” Max replied. He was definitely open to any suggestions that would help him sort out his thoughts.

“We could go on jogs together!” Kim suggested, his eyes lighting up.

“Oh, I don’t want to slow you down –”

“It’s no problem! I’d love the company!” Kim said brightly.

“Okay then.” Max couldn’t say no to that face.

“Awesome. We’ve got to be in shape for the robot wars!” Kim declared, raising his fists.

Max looked at him in confusion for a second, and then he remembered their conversation from last night. He burst out into laughter. “Yeah, I guess my computer savvy would go to waste if I can’t outrun them.”

“Exactly!” Kim said with a grin. Max couldn’t help but smile back. Something about Le Chien Kim always made him want to smile back.

“So, should we go inside?” Kim asked, looking at the open door. He began to rock on the balls of his feet. Max stared at him for another moment before shaking his head. He was spacing out a lot today.

“Yeah, right, after you.” Max said, opening the door a bit wider and gesturing for Kim to go through.

“Wow, what a gentleman.” Kim said as he strolled in. Max rolled his eyes and followed not too far behind.

Together they walked towards the center of the stadium and watched as two people were sparring in the ring.

Max recognized Alix immediately – she was in sweats and a tank top like Kim, and her short pink hair was up in a ponytail, although the shorter pieces had already come out and were framing her face.

His best friend might be short, but she definitely wasn’t weak. Max watched as the toned muscles in her arms tightened as she threw another punch. He always admired the look of determination and focus on her face whenever she fought – it was very different from the carefree expression she usually had on.

Fighting was something that Alix really loved, and really took seriously. That’s what Max liked about Alix the most. It nice to watch another person really love what’s in front of them. He glanced at Kim and saw the impressed look on his face.

“This mystery girl is really good.” He said, not taking his eyes off of the ring. Max looked back and watched the person that Alix was fighting. She was wearing red cotton sweatpants with a matching red sports bra, and the bra had black polka dots. Her hair was tied back into two pigtails and – like Chat Noir – she was wearing a mask, but hers matched her red and black polka dot theme. As Max watched her throw a punch he noticed that she was wearing black, fingerless gloves.  

Max could understand why Alix liked this girl – she was strong and a fierce fighter, and it was obvious that she loved what she was doing just as much as Alix did.

This mystery girl couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

After a minute of sparring Alix declared a five-minute water break.

“Your footwork is _perfect_ , Mar –” Alix began, then she saw Kim and Max watching them. “– Ladybug. I see that you two decided to show up.” She said, walking to the edge of the ring to greet them.

“That was awesome.” Kim said, a wide smile on his face.

“Don’t think that flattering me will get you on his good side.” Alix teased, looking at Kim as she gestured to Max. “But if you buy me dinner I can put in a good word.” She added with a wink.

Kim rolled his eyes. “Yeah that was a one-time thing. And I don’t need your help, Max and I are already tight.” He declared, holding out his fist.

Max started at it for a second in confusion, and then he realized what Kim was doing. “Oh.” He said, then tapped Kim’s fist lightly with his own.

“Wow, should I be threatened Max? That was definitely an impressive show of intimate friendship.” Alix said, trying to hold back her smirk as she leaned her arms on one of the ropes that lined the ring.

Max pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Play nice Alix, otherwise I’ll let the robots capture you in the war.”

Alix quirked her brow while Kim snorted. Max glanced at him and saw the gleam in his eyes. Once again he got that flutter in his chest.

“Okay okay, I don’t want that.” Alix conceded. “As long as Sparky here knows that _I’m_ the best friend.”

“Sparky?” Kim asked.

“Yeah, cuz your hair makes you look like you’ve been electrocuted.” Alix said with a shrug. Kim choked and touched his hair while Max stifled a laugh.

“So can we meet your new trainee?” Max asked, deciding that changing the subject would be the most beneficial course of action.

“Yeah! Hey LB! I have some people that I want you to meet!” Alix called, beckoning the mystery girl over from the other side of the ring. She put down her water and walked to stand by Alix.

“This is Ladybug.” Alix said proudly. Mystery girl, or rather, Ladybug, gave them a warm smile.

“Nice to meet you.” She said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks were pink from the exercise and she stood confidently in front of them. Max got the impression that she was a naturally likable person. Something about her just made him feel at ease.

“This is my best friend Max.” Alix said gesturing to Max. He adjusted his glasses and gave her a small wave. “And this is his partner, Sparky.”

Ladybug quirked an eyebrow at that.

“It’s Kim.” Kim explained, shooting Alix a glare. She stuck her tongue out in reply.

Max rolled his eyes and smiled. “We’re the new sportscasters. We asked Alix if we could meet you, since we met the other anonymous fighter yesterday.”

Ladybug put her hands on her hips. “So you’ve met my competition? What’s he like?”

“Ridiculous.”

“Awesome!”

Max and Kim said at the same time.

“I see. I look forward to meeting him.”

“I’m sorry but you mentioned Chat Noir being your competition,” Max began, a confused frown on his face. “What do you mean by that?”

Alix brightened up immediately. “Adela decided that there will be some co-ed fights this season, with each player’s permission, of course.” Ladybug nodded her head in confirmation. “And both Ladybug and that cat guy have agreed to do it. Adela’s planned some matches between the two of them throughout the season. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” She said with a wide grin.

“That’s so cool! Man, this is gonna be great, right Max?” Kim said, turning excited eyes on his partner. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet again.

Max gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

Alix looked at the watch on her wrist. “Water break is over. LB and I are going to practice some more; you guys are welcome to stay as long as you want.”

“Thanks Alix.” Max said. Alix smiled at him and shot some finger guns before walking back to the center of the ring.

“So you’re going to be watching me a lot, huh?” Ladybug asked the sportscasters.

“Yup, it’s kind of in the job description.” Kim said, running a hand through his hair. Max couldn’t help but sneak a glance as he did so. Something about that simple action fascinated Max, but only when Kim did it. Then he realized that he was staring – again.

“Y-yeah, we want to collect as much data as possible so that we’re better equipped for the matches to come. Preparation is essential is what I always say.” Max said with a nervous laugh, averting his eyes and looking at Ladybug instead.

Kim gave him a confused look, and then turned to look back at Ladybug as well. “Yeahhh, what he said. So just pretend that we aren’t here.” He declared.

Ladybug had on a knowing smirk as she watched the two men before her. “Then I have one piece of advice.” She declared, looking between Kim and Max. “Don’t blink.” With that she gave them a wink and jogged back to the center of the ring, getting back into her fighting stance.

“She’s so cool.” Kim said, looking at Ladybug with wide eyes.

“She, um, certainly is.” Max agreed. Then Kim turned to look at him again.

“Are you doing okay?”

Max looked back with wide eyes. “Y-yeah of course. Why do you ask?”

“I’ve noticed that you talk a certain way when you’re nervous. More formal and –”

“Robotic?” Max asked with a rueful grin.

“Detached.” Kim answered honestly.

Max sighed. “Do you want the truth?” He asked.

“If you’re comfortable with that.”

Max cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. “Objectively, you are very attractive.”

Kim choked and looked at him with wide eyes. That was obviously not the answer he was expecting. “Uh, what?”

“But don’t worry, I will not let that get in the way of our professional relationship. _Or_ our friendship.”

“What?” Kim squeaked.

“You were right at dinner last night. I wasn't just, um, collecting data. I was checking you out. But I promise I won't do it anymore.”

“Checking – you – me –” Kim stuttered, his eyes still wide. 

“Wow, that was great to get off of my chest. Thank you for asking if I was okay, you really are a good friend. This is definitely better than when I used to talk to my computers.” Max confessed, laughing a little.

He was pretty surprised with himself that he actually told Kim that he was checking him out – he hadn’t really realized that that was what he was doing until a few moments ago, and yet he was glad that he did tell him. He felt like there was a weight off of his chest.

And they were friends, right? And friends were honest with each other. The last thing he wanted was to mess things up between them.

“ _You were checking me out?_ ” Kim asked in a strangled whisper, but Max wasn’t paying attention anymore. He was watching Alix and Ladybug fight.

“Ladybug will go for the uppercut and Alix will either block or dodge to counter with a kick…” Max mumbled to himself.

At that moment Alix snuck a glance Max and Kim’s way to see what they thought of her new trainee. At first she was confused when she saw Kim staring at Max, a deep blush on his cheeks and some weird sparkle in his eyes, but quickly her mouth curved into a fond smile. She might not care for romantic attachments herself, but she knew the beginnings of love when she saw it.

Then she dodged Ladybug’s uppercut and lifted her leg for a swift kick to the side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :P


	6. In the Office

Kim focused on the familiar burn in his lungs as he pushed himself to run faster down the street. Soon he was onto the next block, then the next, and then the next.

‘He thinks I’m attractive.’ Kim thought to himself as he continued to pump his arms in a steady rhythm. He had decided that he was going to run this morning until the numbness in his body reached his brain. Maybe then he would finally be able rid himself of the overwhelming thoughts of his partner.

When he had come home that day after seeing Ladybug and Alix train, all he could think of was Max. His shy smile, the brightness in his eyes, the way he said his name. A few days had passed since then, and yet everything was still Max Max, _Max_. His head was full of Max, but it was more than that. Max was in his breath, in his eyes, in his chest. His skin burned where he had held his hand.

The bottom line was that Kim was in trouble.

He tried to focus on the music he was listening to, the feel of his earbuds, the sound of his feet hitting the pavement, anything to ground him in this moment. And yet it was no use.

“He thinks I’m attractive.” Kim said to himself a little out of breath. Then he groaned and ran a frustrated hand through his sweaty hair. “Get it together Kim, you’re better than this.”

It’s not like he didn’t know that he was attractive. Hell, he reminded himself of that fact whenever he looked in a mirror. And it’s not like he hadn’t had people tell him that he was attractive before. He had gotten plenty of attention from both genders over the years.

He wasn’t new to all this – and yet, hearing that _Max_ thought that he was attractive, well, it did something to him.

But it’s not like it meant anything. It’s not like it _changed_ anything. Max said himself that he wouldn’t let it affect their friendship. And that’s what they were, right? Friends?

Maybe he was making it a bigger deal than it was. It wasn’t like Kim didn’t find Max attractive as well. It’s not like he hadn’t felt his heart skip a beat when his partner looked at him. It’s not like he hadn’t noticed how good Max looked in a button-up. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about what it would be like to….

Kim let out another frustrated groan and began to run even faster, trying to convince himself that the sudden heat in his cheeks was only due to the exercise.

They were friends.

They were coworkers.

Kim was not about to make himself believe that it could be anything more than that.

He was not about to let himself even consider that he might _want_ it to be more than that.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. Being friends with Max – it definitely was a challenge. Just not in the way he had expected.

But that didn’t mean that he was going to back down, he was too stubborn.

So, they were friends. End of story. Max didn’t want to make it weird, and Kim was determined not to make it that way either.

He could feel the sweat on his forehead and the welcome strain in his legs. This is what he did. He kept running. And he wouldn’t let anything cause him to trip. He _couldn’t_ let that happen. Because he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if it did.

He spotted his destination in the distance and began to slow his pace. Soon he was standing in front of his favorite bakery. He had to go into the office this morning, but he chose to wake up early so he could go for a run and grab breakfast.

He took a moment to catch his breath and wipe the sweat off his brow before he swung open the door. He heard the familiar jingle of the bell as he stepped inside and sighed when he felt the coolness of the air conditioning.

“Good morning!” A voice said from the cash register. Kim looked up and saw a girl that was around his age. She had pretty blue eyes and dark hair that was pulled back into a high ponytail.

“Oh hey Marinette!” Kim said, walking further into the bakery. He had managed to come before the usual morning rush. He liked to come here a couple times a week, so he had the customer traffic down to a science. “I haven’t seen you here in a while!”

“Oh yeah, Papa has a huge delivery coming soon, and Maman has a lot of paperwork to fill out, so they asked me to man the register for the morning.” Marinette said, giving Kim a sweet smile. And yet Kim could’ve swore he saw a flash of, _something_ , in her eyes. And there was something so familiar about it too…

“I’m guessing you’re going to want the usual?” Marinette asked, interrupting his train of thought.

“Oh, uh, yes, actually. I guess I’m that predictable, huh?” Kim joked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, you _have_ been coming here since we were kids, so it would be pretty pathetic if I _didn’t_ know what you’d want.” Marinette said, letting out a soft giggle as she walked over to the display case.

“You have a point there.” Kim agreed with a chuckle. He watched as Marinette grabbed an apricot danish and carefully placed it in a white paper bag.

“Is that a new logo?” Kim asked, looking at the bag.

Marinette saw where he was looking and had a proud gleam in her eyes and she held the bag up. “Yup, Maman and Papa asked me to make it. They thought that it was time for a change.”

“It looks great.” Kim said. Marinette gave him a wide smile. “How’s that internship going, anyway?”

Marinette sighed as she walked back to the register. “It’s great, working for Gabriel Agreste’s company is…a dream come true.” She said. But Kim could see the tenseness in her shoulders, the strain in her smile.

“But it’s stressing you out, isn’t it?”

Marinette slumped her shoulders. “Yes.” She breathed. Then she looked around to make sure no one was listening, but the bakery was empty except for them. “Mr. Agreste can be a little…high maintenance.”

Kim chuckled. “You should find some sort of outlet for all this stress, Mari. What if you try running? It helps _me_ relax.” Kim suggested. Thoughts of Max began to resurface once more, and he dug his nails into his palms until they went away.

Marinette crinkled her nose. “I can’t even _walk_ down the street without the danger of me tripping over something. I think it’d be safer for Paris if I didn’t go on runs.”

Kim laughed. “Well how about I talk to Adela? I bet I can get you some time in the ring. I’ll even spar with you – as long as you stay away from the face, my dashing good looks are what landed me the sports casting job in the first place.” He offered with a wink.

“That’s very generous of you,” Marinette said with a smile, “but I’ve actually already found my outlet. It keeps me pretty busy, but it’s better than snapping under the pressure and tackling my boss.” She confessed.

“Don’t tell me you joined some underground gang. Or are you a masked vigilante now?” Kim teased, quirking an eyebrow.

“No, nothing like that.” Marinette said with a laugh. “It’s just some lessons with a trainer, no big deal.”

“I’m happy for you, Marinette. Man, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” Kim said, running a hand through is hair. “We should hang out some time, catch up.”

Marinette had a small smile on her face that Kim couldn’t quite read. “That’d be nice. Yeah, I have a feeling that we’ll see a lot more of each other.”

“I hope so.” Kim said as he pulled out his wallet and handed over some bills. “Keep the change.”

Marinette counted the money that he’d just handed over. “Kim, this is way too much I can’t –”

Kim help up a hand. “Tom and Sabine are practically family, and with all the free food they’ve given me over the years it’s only right. Besides, I’m actually on my way to pick up my paycheck.”

Marinette opened her mouth like she was about to argue, but then she simply sighed and smiled. “Thanks, Kim.”

“My pleasure.” He said with a wink, and Marinette handed over the bag.

Kim opened it and smelled the sweetness of the pastry. He could tell that it was still warm. “You know, your apricot pastries were a major reason that I had such a huge crush on you in lycée.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled. “I know, you tell me that every time you order it.” Then she rested her arms on the counter and Kim watched as a slow smile spread across her face.

“Speaking of your love life, anything interesting of note?” She asked innocently.

Kim felt a blush spread up his neck. “N-nope nothing interesting at all, if anything it’s been pretty uneventful.” He said quickly, clutching his bag a little more tightly in his hand.

“Really? That’s unlike you. Even when you’re single you have at least one crush to satisfy your romantic needs.”

Kim scoffed. “Romantic needs?”

Marinette just gave him a look.

Kim coughed and refused to look at her. “Maybe you have a point. But even so, nothing of note comes to mind. I guess I’ve hit a dry spell as far as crushes go.” He admitted, trying his best not to think about those curious eyes, or those random but endearing facts that always seem to make Kim smile whenever he hears them, or that warm and soft laugh that he makes when he…

Kim shook his head angrily. “Yup, there’s no one that I like.”

“Okay.” Marinette said with a shrug, but her smile showed that she didn’t quite believe him.

Kim grinned and leaned closer to her face. “Are you making sure there’s no competition?” Then he quirked an eyebrow. “Is it possible that you’ve finally realized that you’re madly in love with me? Because I’m sorry, Marinette, but I moved on years ago.”

Marinette scoffed. “Between the internship and my – training sessions – I barely have time to _eat_ let alone have a boyfriend. So I’m sorry, but I haven’t fallen for you.”

“One of these days, Mari.” Kim said with a wink. Then he saw the clock on the far wall. “It’s been nice catching up with you, but I actually have to go. Try to pencil me in sometime though, okay? Preferably before your nightly vigilante patrols.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

Kim gave her a final wave as he headed for the door, and then he left the bakery. He took out the pastry and eagerly took a bite as he walked down the block. He groaned as he tasted the familiar sweetness of the apricot and sugar.

It was nice to see Marinette again. He couldn’t help but think back to when they were kids. He remembered when he had proposed to her on the playground. He also remembered her rejection and his decision to turn around and propose to the cute red head boy in their class instead.

Yeah, it wasn’t much of a surprise when he had come out to his parents in lycée.

Marinette had actually been the first person he told about his sexuality. She was a lot of firsts for him – his first friend, his first crush, his first rejection. Then they had both gone off to university. They had both grown up.

And yet, seeing her again, it was like nothing had changed. He could almost convince himself that they were still kids. Kids who were still chasing their dreams. It was a nice thought.

He took another bite of his pastry and smiled.

 

 

Kim ran a hand through his damp hair as he walked into the office building. He’d had just enough time to take a quick shower before going to pick up his check.

“Good morning, Sam.” Kim said to the security guard at the desk as he strolled through the hall.

“Morning Kim.” Sam responded, tipping his hat.

Kim reached the elevator and pressed the button. A few moments later he heard the ding and the doors opened. He stepped through, pressed the button for floor six, and leaned against the railing. Then he watched as the doors closed in front of him.

He sighed. He must’ve done this a thousand times at this point. Soon the doors opened and he walked down the hall and took the first left.

“Good morning, Rose.” Kim said, greeting the secretary at the desk. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going great!” Rose said with a bright smile. “You’re here to pick up your check?”

“You know me so well.” Kim said with a wink.

Rose giggled and began to type something out on her computer. “I just have to fill a few things out, you know the drill.”

“Of course.” Kim replied. “How’re the twins doing?”

Rose beamed as she scribbled something down on a piece of paper. “They’re wonderful, Kim, I’m so happy.” She glanced up at him as she said that last part. Kim couldn’t help but smile as well. “And they love the little toy wrestlers that you gave them. I’m beginning to fear that they might grow up to be pro-wrestlers themselves.” Rose said with a laugh. “I don’t think my heart could take it.”

“They could always follow in the footsteps of Uncle Kim.” Kim offered.

“Very true. They would make quite the team.” She said with a smile. Then she carefully ripped off the check and handed it over. “You should stop by sometime, they love when ‘Uncle Kim’ comes around for a playdate.”

“I’ll make sure to visit soon, I miss those little guys.” Kim confessed as he put the check in his wallet. “See you later.”

“Bye Kim!” Rose said from her desk.

He started to make his way out when he stopped in the doorway. “Don’t work too hard, or Juleka will call me again to complain.”

Rose giggled and shifted in her seat. “She worries too much.”

“Love does that to you.” Kim replied.

“Yeah, I guess it does.” Rose admitted, smiling into her lap.

Kim walked out the door and back into the hallway. As he headed for the elevator he couldn’t help but feel…weird. Before Monsieur Faure had given him that internship, Kim was working in the main building all of the time. Even when he _had_ the internship he was still in the office most days. But now that he was going to be one of the head sportscasters he simply didn’t need to be here as much.

He loved the Charles Arena and couldn’t be more excited about working there more, but at the same time he was going to miss this place. He was going to miss seeing these people every day.

As he passed one of the office blocks on his way down the hall he picked up on a familiar voice that made him stop in his tracks.

“…and that is what you should do if the old software goes down before the new software is properly installed, which should be complete in about...Kim?”

Kim realized that he was staring right at Max, who was hunched over a computer talking to an orange-haired girl. Max had obviously noticed his presence; given that he was looking back at him with a puzzled expression.

“What are you doing here?” Max asked, that all too familiar curiosity in the furrow of his brow.

“Oh, uh, me?” Kim asked, trying to act casual as he leaned his hand against the doorframe. “I was just picking up my paycheck.”

‘Why are you so nervous, Kim?’ Kim thought to himself. ‘He’s your friend, don’t freak him out by acting all weird again. This is normal, you got this.’

“Soooo, what are you two up to?” Kim asked, looking between Max and the girl he was with.

“Oh, this is Sabrina, I’m just explaining to her the differences between the old software and the new one that the company is installing.” Max said, adjusting his glasses.

“Oh right. Max has told me about you. I’m Kim.” Kim said, walking up to Sabrina and offering his hand.

Sabrina stood up and shook it with her own, offering him a smile. “All good things I hope.”

“Of course.” Max said. “This department wouldn’t be running if it wasn’t for your help, and I can think of no one better to replace me.”

Kim saw the proud gleam in her eyes. “So I’m guessing that this is the guy who stole you away from us?” Sabrina asked Max, looking Kim up and down.

“I wouldn’t say he ‘stole me away’, but he _will_ be my new partner.” Max explained with a smile, looking at Kim. Kim’s throat became dry all of a sudden.

“It’s so cool that you guys get to see all the action.” Sabrina said, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet. “I try to make it to the matches when I can, but it must be a whole different world up there in the booth.”

“It seems like you’re a fan of pro-fighting.” Kim said with a smirk.

“Well, yeah, that’s one of the reasons I took the IT job for this company in particular.” Sabrina said with a shrug. “But I also like to go because my girlfriend is one of the head trainers. She likes when I can give her feedback from the audience. She ‘appreciates the objective perspective’, or at least that’s how she explains it. And she always gives me something in return.” Sabrina said with a shy smile. Kim could see a slight blush on her cheeks.

“I didn’t know you were dating one of the trainers.” Max commented.

“Yeah, you might have met her actually, her name is Chloe.”

Kim immediately remembered those ice blue eyes and blonde hair. He also remembered how easily she knocked Chat Noir down. “Yeah we met her a few days ago. She’s pretty…”

“Scary.” Max answered honestly.

Sabrina laughed. “Yeah, that’s the vibe a lot of people get when they first meet her.” Then she lowered her voice. “You can’t tell her I said this, but she’s actually a big softie.”

Kim chuckled. “My lips are sealed.” Then he glanced at Max and saw the amused smile on his face. “Well,” He coughed. “I should probably head home now; I didn’t mean to interrupt –”

“It was no problem at all. We were just finishing up anyway.” Max said.

“Okay, good.” Kim said, heading for the open doorway. “So I’ll see you tomorrow? For the meeting with Adela?”

“Of course.” Max said with a smile.

Something fluttered in Kim’s chest, and he had to stop himself from making a frustrated whine. Max was just a friend, a _friend_. A friend that found him very attractive…

No, just a friend. And he was going to prove how much of a mega-friend, bro, and totally platonic amigo he was even if it killed him.

“I was thinking,” Kim began, “we should go on a run together before the meeting, you know, like we talked about.”

Sabrina scoffed and looked at Max. “Have you ever ran?”

“No,” Max answered honestly. Then he straightened up and clenched his fists at his side, “but I accept your challenge!” He yelled seriously.

‘Crap,’ Kim thought, ‘that was really cute.’

“On one condition,” Max continued, pointing a finger at Kim.

“Name it.”

“Since I’m going to do something _you_ like to do; you have to do something that _I_ like to do.” Max answered.

“And what is that?” Kim asked, quirking an eyebrow.

A mysterious grin spread across Max’s face. “You’ll find out after the meeting.”

Kim could feel his neck heating up again. He saw the challenge in Max’s eyes as he made his demands, and he couldn’t help but find it…really hot.

“Deal.” Kim said, his throat dry. He had to get out of here before his whole face was red. “Then I’ll see you at 8 am, outside this building.” Kim declared.

“Sounds like a plan.” Max said, dropping his hand to his side. He still had that smile on his face.

“O-okay, I’m just gonna, um, go then. Nice meeting you, Sabrina.” Kim said, his head now being the only thing visible in the doorway.

“Likewise.” Sabrina said with a smirk.

With that, Kim hurried down the hall and toward the elevator. It wasn’t until he was safely inside the elevator, alone, that he released the breath he was holding.

They had just made plans together. Like, like _friends_ do.

Yeah, they were just dudes being dudes, pals being pals, bros being bros.

And yet he couldn’t deny that when Max was smiling at him, the only thing he wanted to do was push Max down on the table and kiss him until _he_ was the one smiling like that.

He was so, terribly, _undeniably_ screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Kim haha poor boy


	7. In the Street

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote one huge mega chapter that I've decided to break up into two. So there's In the Street and In the Game and I'm posting them at the same time :D 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

‘Honestly, Kim in a tank top shouldn’t be legal.’ Max thought to himself as he watched Kim jog up to him from a block away, a wide smile on his face.

Max shook his head. “No, you told yourself you would stop ogling your friend, Max. Even if you can see his biceps right now, and that perfect smile, and that flawless skin, seriously, how does it look that smooth?” Max began to wonder what it would be like to run his hands down those arms, and then he felt his cheeks heat up.

‘Get it together, Max.’ He thought. Kim had assured him that Max wasn’t a robot, and yet he couldn’t help but feel like he was short circuiting.

“Don’t tell me you got here forty-five minutes early.” Kim said as he finally reached Max, giving him a wink. Max could see that his cheeks were slightly flushed, most likely from the jogging.

“Not quite.” Max said, moving his hand up to his face and then dropping it once he realized that he didn’t have his glasses on. Kim noticed the movement.

“You’re not wearing your glasses.” He commented, a peculiar look in his eyes.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to run the risk of them flying off as I’m running, so I wore my contacts.” Max explained, rubbing the back of his neck. He remembered how weird it felt to put his contacts in this morning. His glasses were kind of like his safety blanket – they put some distance between him and the world. They gave him the breathing room he needed when everything around him became too much. He could pretend that he was just looking at the world through a window, and that he was a million miles away. Only recently had he begun to realize how lonely that was.

For some reason, being with Kim, he felt like he didn’t need to feel that separation. And yet at the same time, he felt like he needed it more than ever. He felt the heat in his cheeks as Kim continued to look at him.

“It’s weird, isn’t it? I feel like I look better with my glasses. It just suits me, I suppose.” Max said, choosing to look anywhere but at Kim.

“No, actually,” Kim said, letting out a little cough, “I just never noticed how brown your eyes were.”

“Oh.” Max said, his throat dry. Then after a moment he smiled and straightened up. “I also figured that it would be even easier to outrun you if I didn’t have to worry about my glasses.”

“Oh really?” Kim said, crossing his arms over his chest and quirking a brow. God, _those arms_. “I’ll let you know that I was the star of my track team all throughout lyceé.”

“Yes, but I’m a gay black man, being able to run fast is practically in my genetic code.” Max said with a smirk.

Kim chuckled. “Okay, you’ve got a point there, although I wish you didn’t.” He added, looking at Max seriously. Max appreciated that. Then Kim began to stretch his arms. “So I guess there’s only one way to settle this.” Kim looked up and was about to say something, when he noticed that Max was already sprinting down the street.

“So not fair!” Kim yelled, racing after him.

Max cackled as he continued to run down the block. Thankfully the foot traffic wasn’t too busy today. Probably because it was a Saturday. And the streets around the company building were usually pretty quiet anyway, since they were full of corporate offices.

“Nothing is fair about the robot wars!” Max called over his shoulder, trying to pick up the pace. He wasn’t lying when he said that he wasn’t much of a runner, but he had always been naturally quick as a kid. For a moment he thought that he might actually beat Kim to the end of the block. He smirked to himself – he couldn’t wait to tell Adela. Together they would never let Kim live it down.

Then he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

“Shit.” Max said, laughing as he tried to run faster.

“Shit is right, Max Kanté! I’m coming for you!” Kim yelled, and Max could tell that he was catching up to him, and fast.

Max let out a breathless giggle, and was about to say something when suddenly he was swept off his feet and lifted into the air.

“Wha –” Max said, then he looked up and saw Kim’s face, only a few inches from his own.

“Put your arms around my neck! You’re slipping!” Kim ordered, still running.

Max scrambled to wrap his arms around Kim’s neck, and then he looked around and saw that Kim was carrying him, one arm hooked under his legs and another around his back. “What are you doing?” Max asked, looking back at Kim with wide eyes.

“There’s a robot chasing us!” Kim declared, looking ahead as he avoided pedestrians.

“Kim –”

“We don’t have time to argue! It’s be or be killed in the robot wars!” Kim interrupted.

Max looked at him with an open mouth, and then he erupted into a fit of laughter. “So where’s the robot?” He asked.

“It’s running not too far behind us. They have some sort of armband, probably to signify that it’s a part of the robot army, and has these wires sticking out of its ears.”

Max shifted to look behind Kim and saw a man, probably in his forties, on his morning jog. He had his iPod strapped on his forearm and was listening to his music through his earbuds. They made eye contact, and he gave Max a confused smile.

“I see it. It’s right behind us!” Max yelled, pointing at the man. The man only chuckled as he continued on his jog. Max watched as he turned the corner. “Kim, we lost it!”

“That’s a relief.” Kim breathed, a smile on his face as he looked down at Max. “I thought that it would get us for sure.”

“Thanks for coming to my rescue, I would’ve been a goner for sure.” Max said, trying to bite back his laughter. He noticed that Kim began to slow down.

Right. There was no reason for Kim to carry him anymore. Max couldn’t help but feel disappointed by that fact.

“I guess that I should –” Kim began, and Max could’ve sworn he heard a note of disappointment as well. Then something caught his eye.

“Kim! Watch out! One of the robot sentinels! If it sees us the robot general will find us for sure!” Max yelled, pointing at the stroller that was approaching them. The woman pushing it looked at Max with a raised brow.

“What did you call my kid?” The woman asked.

“Not the robot sentinel!” Kim gasped. Then he looked at the woman. “Quickly Madame, save yourself!” Then he began to run down the street once more. Max could’ve sworn he heard the woman mumble “millenials” under her breath before they ran away yelling.

Max rested his head against Kim chest and began to laugh uncontrollably. He could feel that Kim was laughing as well.

He couldn’t remember feeling more alive. When he lifted his head once more, he saw that everything wasn’t a million miles away. Every was _right here_. In his skin, in his smile, in his lungs. He wasn’t looking through a window, and he didn’t think it was the contacts that caused this change in him.

He thought that maybe, maybe it was Kim.

 

 

“You two look tired.” Adela observed, quirking a brow as she looked at her sports casters.

Kim and Max looked at each other and smiled, trying to catch their breath.

Kim had carried Max for a while longer after running from the baby stroller, and then they ended up racing each other again. They had made all sorts of bets and challenges on their way to the Charles Arena. Thankfully Max had checked his watch and seen that they were almost late for their meeting with Adela. They had to sprint the rest of the way to make it on time.

“I actually feel more awake than I have in a while.” Max commented, reaching up to adjust glasses that weren’t there. He put his hand down and smiled.

“Surviving the robot wars will do that to you.” Kim explained, hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

Adela looked at them in confusion for a moment, and then she simply sighed. “I’m not going to even bother asking.” She said, shaking her head and smiling.

“That is probably for the best.” Max said.

“You better not be corrupting sweet Max.” Adela warned, looking at Kim.

Kim put a hand over his heart. “Of course not, Dels. When would I ever?”

Adela rolled her eyes. “We’re going to The Booth.” She said, walking towards the stairs.

Max walked next to Kim and leaned towards him, whispering. “Do you think she’s one of them?”

Kim looked at Adela and furrowed his brow in thought. “Totally. I mean, look how stiffly she walks. And her hair like, never moves. It’s probably made of steel.”

“It’s called hairspray, jackass.” Adela called over her shoulder.

“She’s on to us.” Kim whispered, throwing an arm over Max’s shoulders. Max smothered a laugh behind his hand. He tried not to focus too much on the feeling of Kim’s arm around him.

They quickly made their way up the stairs and to The Booth. Max still couldn’t get over how amazing the room was. The walls were painted a nice deep red, and there was a huge window that looked down at the ring. The view was incredible, and soon Max would get to see it all the time. And there would be cheering and people and lights. So many colorful lights. His heart beat a little faster just thinking about it.

In front of the window was a sleek black table and two chairs. He watched as Kim took a seat in the left one and began to spin in slow circles. On the desk were two microphones, and it was almost unreal to believe that one of them was meant for _him_.

He walked over and took a seat in the chair next to Kim. He sighed as he sunk into its comfortable leather.

Adela leaned against one of the tables away from the window and looked at Max and Kim with an unreadable expression.

“What’s with the look, Adela?” Kim asked. He had stopped spinning and was now looking at their boss.

Adela smiled and tucked a lock of short hair behind her ear. “You two look like you’re meant to be here. It just, fits.”

Max looked down at his lap and smiled. It was always nice when someone told you that you belonged somewhere you really wanted to be. He had wanted this for a while, and he did it, he got the job. But that didn’t mean he stopped worrying if this was the right choice for him. Or rather if the people around him would see it as the right choice.

“Of course it fits,” Kim declared, leaning back in his chair. “Le Chien Kim and Max Kanté, the hot new sports casters for the PFL. It has a ring to it.”

“I’m sure you meant to say, ‘Max Kanté and Le Chien Kim’.” Max said.

Adela laughed. “We’ll deal with that another time. Right now we need to cover some of the basics.”

Kim groaned and leaned back even further in his chair. “But that’s so boring.”

“Yes, but it is also necessary.” Adela pointed out.

“I’d love to hear the basics, Adela. I want to be as prepared as I can be before the season starts.” Max said, straightening up in his chair.

“Nerd.” Kim coughed out.

“Sparky.” Max shot back with a grin. Kim gasped and covered his hair gingerly with his hands.

“How could you?” Kim whispered, slowly swiveling his chair away from Max. Max laughed behind his hand.

“First thing you should know is that there are matches on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Usually the bigger matches will take place on Fridays.” Adela explained. “Almost all matches will start at 8pm, but you should get here at 6pm for the pre-game commentary.”

“Right.” Max said, committing all of this to memory.

“Alya will handle all of the post-match interviews, as she mentioned before, but you will also get the chance to speak to some of the fighters afterward, off the record.”

Kim pumped his fist. “Awesome.”

In the beginning of the season there will be about two matches per night, sometimes three. But as the weeks go on, Fridays will be reserved for our best fighters, and there will only be one match.”

“Right, because Fridays will bring in the largest crowds.” Max said.

“You got it.” Adela said with a smile. “Now we have to talk about our two new fighters.”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Kim stated. “We got to see Ladybug practice a few days ago, she’s good.”

“How proactive of you both.” Adela said, quirking an eyebrow. She looked impressed. “They will only be fighting on Fridays, because we want as many people to see them fight as possible. We’ve been trying to get the word out on social media, and it seems like there’s already a buzz.”

“Great.” Max said with a smile. He wasn’t exactly surprised, who wouldn’t be interested in seeing two masked people in costume fight? It was mysterious, it was unpredictable – everything you would want out of entertainment.

“So that’s all that you need to know for now, I’ll give you two more information as the tournament dates get closer.”

“Awesome.” Kim said, stretching and getting up from his chair.

“Hold on Kim, you know we’re not done.” Adela said.

Kim flopped back down on his chair with a dramatic sigh. “I was hoping you’d forgotten.”

“Sadly no, I’ve got a steel trap up here.” Adela said, pointing to her head.

Max and Kim looked at each other with wide eyes.

“Oh no…” Adela said, putting a hand against her forehead.

“I _knew_ she was a robot!” Max yelled.

“Quickly, Max, we have to go before she downloads our brains!” Kim said, bolting out of his chair and grabbing Max’s wrist.

“I don’t think that’s quite possible given –” Max tried to protest, but Kim was already dragging him out the door.

“Le Chien Kim! Get back here right now you know you have contracts to read over!” Adela yelled, leaving The Booth to chase after them.

“You’ll never take us alive!” Kim called over his shoulder, cackling.

“I’m so sorry Adela!” Max yelled as Kim pulled him down the stairs, but he found himself laughing as well.

 

 

“I can’t believe she caught us.” Kim said, leaning against one of the side doors of the arena.

“Yeah, it probably wasn’t the best idea to hide under Alya’s interview table.” Max replied, looking up at the sky. The sun was right above them; his best guess was that it was around noon.

“I really didn’t think she’d check under there.” Kim confessed, running a hand through his hair.

“I think your laughing was what gave us away.”

“You were laughing too!”

“Okay, both of us laughing.” Max conceded with a smile.

“I just hate reading contracts. They take forever.” Kim groaned, sliding down the door to sit on the ground.

“Try reading code for hours, now _that_ is an onerous task.” Max said, still looking at the sky.

“I’ll take your word for it.” Kim replied, shuddering.

“At least we got it over with, now we can focus our energies on the more exciting parts of our job.” Max offered.

Kim sighed and smiled up at his partner. “As always, you’re right.”

“I’m not always right.” Max said. “I wasn’t right about Adela being a robot.”

Kim laughed, and Max’s heart fluttered a little at the sound. “Yeah, splashing water in her face was probably a little overboard.”

“I will never forget the look on her face when she saw that cup of water in your hand.”

“She was so pissed.” Kim said, covering his face with his hand and laughing. “But she didn’t short circuit, so now we know she isn’t a robot.”

“I hope it was worth having to sign those contracts in triplicates.” Max said, nudging Kim’s foot with his own.

“I can’t believe I was the only one who got in trouble!” Kim said, waving his hands in disbelief.

“I guess I’m the favorite, it can’t be helped.” Max teased. Kim stuck out his tongue.

“So I’ve been wondering all day, what is this secret activity that we’re going to do?” Kim asked, moving to stand up.

Max smiled. “You know one of the most important resources to have in the robot wars is?”

“What?” Kim asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Patience.” Max said with a wink.

Kim groaned dramatically. “You’re a tease, you know that?”

Max laughed and poked Kim’s shoulder. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“My apartment.” Max noticed Kim stop for a moment. He felt his cheeks heat up. “Is-is that okay?”

He watched as Kim snapped out of whatever he was thinking and looked at him. “Yeah! That’s more than okay, that’s, yeah,” Kim said, stumbling over his words. “Let’s see what our home base for the robot wars looks like.” He finally managed to say, putting on a wide smile.

Max quirked an eyebrow. “Why is my apartment going to be the home base?”

“Well we can’t use my apartment, I’ve been on their most wanted list ever since I exploded that toaster. It was the first casualty of the war. Robots never forget.” Kim said seriously.

“And how do you know that I haven’t taken down any robot soldiers myself?”

“Because you love computers too much, they still think that you’re on their side.” Kim explained, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“That…actually makes sense.” Max said.

Kim bumped Max’s shoulder with his own and laughed. “Don’t act so surprised. I have good ideas sometimes.”

“Yeah, I’d love to hear about that exploded toaster on the way.”

Kim laughed and they made their way down the street. “It all started with a jar of peanut butter, a package of stamps, and a spork.”

“Oh god.”


	8. In the Game

“This is me.” Max said, pulling out his key and putting it in the lock. He couldn’t help but notice that his hands were shaking a little. Which was understandable, he _was_ bringing a guy into his apartment that he thought was “objectively attractive”.

But he was beginning to wonder if it was all that objective anymore.

Soon he was able to unlock the door and they stepped inside.

“This place is so cool!” Kim said, getting a look around. “Perfect for a home base.” He added, turning to glance Max’s way, a grin on his face.

“Yeah I’ve had this place for a few years now, so it’s definitely lived in.” Max commented, setting down his keys on the table. It wasn’t a necessarily large place – it was only a four room apartment – but he was a man of simple needs.

Kim walked over to his bookshelf and carefully ran his hand along the spines of Max’s books.

“Yeah, I know I have a lot of them, but I just can’t get rid of any. I get attached.” Max confessed, a little self-conscious. He wasn’t used to having people in his apartment, Alix being his only visitor for a while now. And with her it was different – she practically lived here.

Something about showing Kim, well, it was like showing a very personal part of himself.

“I think it’s really awesome. I love the feel of books.” Kim said. Then he turned to look at Max. “But I thought you’d be more of a kindle guy.” He teased.

Max scoffed. “I may have an above average affinity for tech, but nothing beats the feel of pages in your hand. It makes it feel more real in a way. You know, the story.”

Kim looked at him with a strange expression. “Yeah, I think I know what you mean.” Then he smiled and put his hands on his hips. “So what are we going to do in your apartment?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Max felt his cheeks heat up as he struggled to form a sentence.

Then Kim realized the implications of what he just said. “Wow, that was not what I meant at all, I mean, I wasn’t thinking of – you know what, let’s just delete those last few seconds from our memory.” Kim said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“But that’s exactly what the robots would want us to do.” Max offered, his throat a little dry but his blush more under control.

Kim laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “Then I guess I’ll have to sacrifice my dignity for the sake of mankind.”

“We appreciate it.” Max replied with a smile. Then he walked over to his home phone. “The first thing we’re going to do is order a pizza.”

“Sounds good to me.” Kim said, sitting down on the couch. “So I’m guessing that this is an indoors activity that we’ll be doing?”

Max had already dialed the number and listened to the phone ring. He looked at Kim and held up a finger. “Hey Nathanael, yeah I’d love the usual please. Okay, thanks, see you soon.” He hung up the phone and went to sit next to Kim.

“You didn’t even have to give your address?” Kim asked, quirking his brow.

“I’ve ordered a lot of pizza from them – their tomato sauce is the best.” Max explained. “And I’m really bad at cooking.”

“I love to cook! Next time I’m over I’ll make you something.” Kim said. Then Max could see a slight blush in his cheeks. “I mean, if you ever invite me over again, of course.”

“If this is going to be our home base, I see you being here a lot in the future.” Max said with a smile. “Especially if I get free meals out of it.”

“Deal.” Kim said. They looked at each other for a moment.

“So to answer your question, yes, this will be an indoor activity.” Max said, shifting to grab the controller that was on the table in front of them.

“Oh sweet! Video games!” Kim said, pumping his fist.

“You play?” Max asked, handing him the controller and reaching to grab the other one for himself.

“I used to play when I was a kid, and with my roommates a lot in college, but I haven’t had a lot of time for it recently.” Kim explained, fiddling with the joysticks. Then he looked at Max. “What’re we playing?”

“Let’s see.” Max said. He stood up and walked towards his TV. Then he bent down to look through the stack of games next to it. “Hmmmmm. We should probably start with an easy one.” Then he looked at the one that was currently at the top of the pile. “Here we go.” He took the disk out and slid it into his console. Then he turned to looked back at Kim. “What is your opinion on Mario Kart?”

Kim smiled and moved so that he was sitting on the edge of the couch. “I call dibs on Princess Daisy.”

Max raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t peg you as a Princess Daisy kind of guy.”

“Are you kidding me? She’s definitely bisexual, and I have to stay true to a home girl.”

Max chuckled and shook his head. Then he looked at the picture of Princess Daisy on the cover of the game. “You know, I think you have a point.”

“Damn straight, or, not straight, I guess.”

Max rolled his eyes and moved back to sit next to Kim on the couch.

“Who are _you_ going to be?” Kim asked.

“Yoshi.” Max said immediately. “I have a thing for green.”

“I’ve noticed.” Kim said, looking down at Max’s pale green shirt.

Max fought back his blush and scrolled through the race tracks. “In the mood for some Rainbow Road?”

“You know I’m all about that gay representation. Let’s do it.”

 

 

“How are you so good at this!” Kim groaned, slumping back into the couch. Max looked at the screen and saw “1st place” flash over Yoshi.

“My siblings and I played it all the time when we were kids.” Max shrugged, trying to suppress his grin. Kim wasn’t the only competitive one – he hated to lose too. Then he heard the doorbell ring.

“Yes, pizza will distract me from the cruel sting of defeat.” Kim said. Max laughed and got up from the couch. He opened the door and the first thing he saw was that familiar mop of long red hair.

“Hey Nathanael! Long time no see!” Max said, opening the door to let Nathanael in.

“You ordered pizza four days ago.” Nathanael replied with a small smile, walking into the apartment.

“Yes, but I think that’s a record for longest I’ve ever gone without your pizza.” Max pointed out. He moved to adjust his glasses, but only felt the air. Wow, he hadn’t realized how much of a habit it was.

“Nathanael?” Kim asked, getting up from the couch to join them. “Oh my god it’s you!” He said, putting Nathanael in a headlock.

“Kim? Get off me, you dork.” Nathanael said, chuckling as he struggled to get free.

“Wait, how do you know my pizza guy?” Max asked, looking between the two of them.

Kim moved to swing his arm around Nathanael’s shoulders. “He was my fiancé.” Kim declared.

Max felt a painful tug in his chest, but he decided to ignore it.

“Yeah, when we were like six.” Nathanael said, blowing a lock of hair out of his eyes.

“Excuse me, I was six-and-a-half.” Kim said, putting a hand on his chest. “It was my first serious relationship.”

Nathanael smiled and rolled his eyes. “Sorry I broke your heart.”

Max raised an eyebrow.

“He told me that he actually liked my best friend.” Kim explained, looking at Max. “But I couldn’t blame him, I had a crush on her as well.”

Max chuckled and shook his head. “You were one little Casanova, weren’t you?”

“Nah he had no game.” Nathanael said.

“Okay, change of subject.” Kim said quickly. “How’s life going? How was art school?” He asked, looking at Nathanael.

Nathanael smiled. “It was great. I really learned a lot. It hasn’t been easy making a steady income, so I’ve had to work some part time jobs, but I’ve gotten some commissions recently. And they want my work in a local art exhibit, so that could be pretty huge.”

“I didn’t know that!” Max said. “That’s great!”

“Yeah, when’s the exhibit open to the public?” Kim asked.

Nathanael blushed and shifted a little under their gaze. “It’s next week, actually. I can send you the details if you want.”

“Oh, we most certainly want.” Max said with a smile.

“So are you two on a date? I don’t want to –” Nathanael began.

“Nope, not a date!” Max blurted out.

“Yup, just two coworkers having some bonding time.” Kim said, running a hand through his hair.

“That’s too bad, because my girlfriend Lila and I would love to double date if you two –” Max could hear the teasing note in Nathanael’s voice.

“Wow look at the time you probably have another delivery to make!” Max said, shoving his money in Nathanael’s pocket and taking the pizza. “See you later Nathanael!”

“Make sure to send us the details!” Kim said, waving to Nathanael one last time before he closed the door in his face. Max could hear his laughter as he walked down the hall.

Max sighed and leaned against the door. Then he looked at Kim and smiled. “I never thought that my pizza guy would be my new coworker’s ex-fiancé. Small world.”

Kim laughed and took the pizza from Max’s hands. “Let’s see if this tomato sauce is as good as you say it is.”

 

 

“Okay, Princess Daisy has been letting me down today, let’s play something else.” Kim said as he put down his controller and reached over to grab another slice of pizza. Kim had agreed that it was the best tomato sauce he’d ever tasted, and Max couldn’t help but be pleased.

“I don’t think that a change of game will affect your losing streak, Kim.” Max said, smirking at his coworker as he took a bite of his own pizza. “Video games are kind of my thing.”

Kim put down his slice and turned to face Max. “Then let’s make things a little more interesting.”

Max quirked an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?” Then he watched as Kim furrowed his eyebrow in thought. He began to get a little nervous as he saw the sly grin that spread across his coworker’s face.

“So we play a new game.” Kim said, getting up and walking over to the stack of video games. “And whoever loses has to take their shirt off.” He explained, rifling through the games.

“Wh-what?” Max choked out.

Kim turned to look at him and gave him a devilish smile. “What, worried you might lose?”

Max crossed his arms and looked at Kim with a steady gaze. “I accept your challenge.”

Kim went back to looking at the games until he stopped at one in particular. “This one.” He declared, putting the disk into the console. Max watched as the words “Mecha Strike: Infinity” lit up on his TV.

Max picked up his controller and smiled. Kim had no idea what he was in for.

 

 

“Yes! YES!”

“Nonononono.”

Max felt Kim lean his shoulder into him, trying to break his concentration. “That’s cheating!” He yelled, pushing back. Their sides were flush against each other, but Max was too focused on the game to notice.

“Hmmm, kind of like when you were cheating this morning?” Kim said, referring to their running competitions. He waved a free hand in front of Max’s face, and Max swatted it away.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Max said, biting his lip in concentration. He could feel the familiar strain in his wrists from all the button-mashing.

“Well there’s something that I don’t want you to forget.” Kim said, and Max couldn’t help but sneak a glance his way.

“And what is that?”

“This.” Kim made a final combo move, and Max watched in horror as his robot fell to the ground, defeated.

“No way!” Max yelled, staring at the screen with an open mouth.

Kim leaned back on the couch and put his arms over his head. “Yes way.”

“How did you – I didn’t think – no one has ever beaten me in this game!”

Kim chuckled and sat up, putting a comforting hand on Max’s knee. “You grew up playing Mario Kart, I grew up playing Mecha Strike. I played it so much that my parents asked my doctor if there was such thing as a ‘video game addiction’. And what can I say? I’m a sucker for a good fight.”

Max looked at him in shock. He really hadn’t expected to lose. It was amazing how Kim could never cease to surprise him.

“Now strip.” Kim declared, a serious expression on his face.

Max could feel a deep blush heat up his face.

“I mean, you really don’t have to if you’re not comfortable, I could always think of something –”

“No,” Max interrupted, “I’ll do it. A bet is a bet.” He grabbed the collar of his shirt and lifted it over his head, pulling his shirt off. Then he flung it on the table in front of him. He looked back at Kim and saw him staring.

“What?” Max asked, a little self-conscious.

Kim snapped his gaze up to meet Max’s eyes. “I, um, I just –”

Max smirked and leaned back into the couch. “How did you say it? ‘Collect all the data you want.”

Kim blushed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

Max got up and walked back to the stack of games, and he could feel Kim’s eyes on him. He couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. “Okay, new game. And this one we can actually play as a team.”

“Oooh, that’ll be a nice bonding exercise. Adela will be happy.” Kim teased.

Max rolled his eyes and smiled. Then he picked up the game and slid the disk into the console.

“Zombie Apocalypse.” Kim said, reading the words on the screen. “So this will also help us prepare for the robot wars.”

“Exactly.” Max said, moving to sit back down on the couch. “Are you ready?” He asked, picking up his controller.

“Born ready.” Kim replied, a gleam in his eyes.

Max pressed the start button. “Alix and I play this game all the time. You pretty much have to get from Point A to Point B without getting killed by zombies.”

“Easy enough.” Kim said, moving his character forward. Then a zombie popped out from behind a car and started attacking him. “What do I do what do I do?”

“Shoot it!” Max yelled, fighting off a zombie of his own. “Aim for the head!”

Kim did as he was told and watched as the zombie crumpled in front of him. “Take that, zombie.”

“A little help over here!” Max said, fighting off about five zombies at once with his machete. Kim moved his character over to where Max was and started shooting. Together they took the zombies down and kept going.

“Hey, we make a good team.” Kim said, glancing over at Max.

“Yeah, we do. Watch out!” Max said, throwing a knife at a zombie that was sneaking up behind Kim’s player.

“You saved my life.” Kim said, adding a sniffle for good measure.

Max rolled his eyes and smiled. “We’re a little more than halfway to our destination.

“This is easy –” Kim said, then he accidently shot the abandoned car next to him and the alarm started blaring.

“Oh no.” Max said, willing his player to move faster. “This isn’t good.”

“What did I do what did I do.” Kim said, his character running as well.

Max watched as a hoard of zombies made their way out of the run-down buildings and into the street. “That.”

“Shit.”

“We can do this.” Max said. “That’s the door we need to go in.” He explained, gesturing to the door between them and the zombies.

“Okay.” Kim said, moving to sit on the edge of the couch. “What’s the plan?”

“I’ll make us a path, you cover me.” Max said. Then he began to slice his way through the hoard. Kim made sure to shoot any zombies that tried to get too close.

“We’re almost through!” Max said, gritting his teeth and he kept mashing buttons. He checked their health bars – there was only a sliver left for both of them.

“I’m right behind you!” Kim yelled, shooting all zombies in sight.

“Okay, we’re through, now run!” Max commanded, running towards the door for dear life.

“One’s got me!” Kim yelled. Max took out his pistol and shot the zombie in the head, killing it instantly.

“Quickly, we’ve almost won!” Max said, reaching the door. Kim ran up next to Max and together they opened the door and ran through, Max bolting it closed behind them. They could hear the zombies trying and failing to bust through.

A few seconds later the word “Victory” flashed on the screen.

“YES!”

“We won!” Max said, throwing his hand up in the air. Max turned to look at Kim and saw that he was already staring at him. They both beamed at each other.

Then Kim was hugging him. “That was awesome!” He said. Max hugged back and smiled into his shoulder. Then he felt him pull away.

Max noticed how their faces were only inches away from each other.

“Yeah, it was.” Max said quietly, finding himself unable to look away from those gray eyes. He watched as Kim’s gaze flicked down to his lips, and then back up to look at him.

Max wasn’t sure who initiated it, but soon they were kissing.

Almost out of instinct, Max closed his eyes and wound his arms around Kim’s neck. Then he found himself running his hands through his hair. That annoying, sparky hair. He never imagined that hair could be this soft.

He felt Kim deepen the kiss, and he let him, gasping as he felt Kim’s tongue graze his bottom lip.

He was kissing Kim, he was really kissing Kim. Everything felt hazy and warm and a little intoxicating. He never wanted this feeling to end.

Soon Kim was running his hands up and down Max’s back, and Max remembered that he was shirtless. Then he realized that he didn’t care.

Kim nipped at his bottom lip and Max moaned, so he retaliated by moving to kiss Kim’s jaw, and then his neck. He smiled against Kim’s soft skin when he heard him gasp.

“You’re a great kisser.” Kim said, a little breathless.

“I would say the same about you.” Max said, still kissing Kim’s neck. He moved his hands to run up and down Kim’s arms, those arms that he had been fantasizing about all day.

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” Kim said with a chuckle, and Max stiffened and stopped kissing him.

Kim realized his mistake. “No, no – I didn’t mean –” He said, then he cupped Max’s cheek with his hand. “It’s _never_ been like this.”

Max looked at him for a moment, not quite believing him, but then he felt the slight tremble in Kim’s hand as it held his face. He saw the openness and sincerity in Kim’s gaze – he was scared.

And if he was being honest, Max was too.

But he also didn’t want this feeling to end.

“As long as I’m the only one you’re thinking about right now.” Max said, moving to straddle Kim’s hips.

Kim looked at Max with wide eyes and nodded his head. Then Max grabbed Kim’s tank top and pulled him in for another kiss, this one more urgent than the others.

Neither of them heard the jingling of keys outside Max’s door.

“Hey Max fire up the TV I brought some movies and I –” Max’s head snapped up and he saw Alix standing by the doorway, a grocery bag in her hand and her mouth hanging open in shock.

“Nope! See you later Max!” Alix said, quickly turning around and hurrying out of the apartment. She closed the door behind her but Max could still hear her exclamations of disbelief in the hallway.

“On my favorite couch! Seriously!” Max heard her yell.

Max looked back at Kim and they stared at each other with wide eyes.

He was straddling Kim. He was shirtless. They had just made out.

And all he could think about was how much he wanted to do it again, and again, and again.

Maybe his brain really _had_ short circuited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my first time writing a kissing scene like this so....yeah... *blushes*


	9. With Misunderstandings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter titles are going to change a little, since the story has shifted ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Kim didn’t jog today. Today he decided to walk.

He’d woken up that morning, changed into his usual jogging clothes, put his earbuds in, and as he was about to begin his usual routine – he stopped.

He just didn’t feel like running today.

It felt weird taking it slow, actually looking at his surroundings, not feeling the familiar burn in his feet and lungs.

But it gave him time to think – and he really needed to think.

“Okay let’s go over this again.” Kim mumbled to himself, running a hand through his hair and putting his earbuds in his pocket. “First, you and Max…bonded.” He began, thinking about how he carried Max through the city streets in an attempt to escape the “robots”, and how he was the reason that Max took his shirt off, and how he was the one who pulled Max in for a hug, and how he –

Okay. He was flirting with Max. Better to tell it how it is.

“So you were flirting with Max because you are a romantic fool with little impulse control.” Kim corrected, turning the corner.

“And then you _kissed_ him because – because –” Kim wanted to blame it on the really good pizza, or his victory in Mecha Strike, or the adrenaline rush from surviving a bunch of zombies, but he could imagine Max’s disapproving look.

He had to be honest, he had to think logically. That’s what Max would do. Max wouldn’t run away.

“You’ve got it bad, Kim.” He breathed, shaking his head.

He suddenly had the urge to call Max, but what would he say? After Alix came busting through Max’s door and then practically ran away screaming, Kim had taken it as his cue to leave. He had thanked Max for the pizza, given him an extremely awkward fist bump, and tried not to hurry too much out the door.

That was a few days ago. A few days without talking to each other. And with each passing hour it felt more awkward to bring it up.

Maybe for Max what happened was just because of the amazing pizza, the competition, the adrenaline.

Maybe Max wasn’t thinking about him at all.

Kim took a deep breath. This is why he liked to run. He wanted to be faster than his thoughts, his insecurities, his worries. He wanted to outrun the part of himself he’d rather not face.

He considered himself to be a very confident person when it came to most things. He knew he was good looking, athletic, hard working, driven. He knew he was _worth_ something.

But sometimes, sometimes he wondered if people thought the same way.

Because did it really matter if he thought _he_ was great, that _he_ was important, if no one else did?

Kim shook his head. He knew that he shouldn’t let himself think these things, it was just that some days these kinds of thoughts were harder to ignore.

“Hey Kim! I didn’t know you walked!” A voice said from behind.

Kim turned around and saw Marinette, a small smirk on her lips.

“I thought you had two settings: Stop and Run.” She added, clasping her hands behind her back.

Kim rolled his eyes and turned back around to keep walking. “I go for walks…sometimes.”

Marinette snorted and moved to walk beside him. “Wow, there really must be something on your mind.”

Kim glanced at her, and then crossed his arms. “You don’t know me. You don’t know my story.”

Marinette laughed and gave Kim a gentle shove. “Oh my god you’re pouting.” Then she leaned closer and gave him a sneaky smile. “Is this about a girl? A boy?”

Kim turned his nose in the air. “I never told you that something was wrong.”

“Come on, Kim, I’ve known you long enough to be able to tell when you’re thinking too much about something. And you being the hopeless romantic you are, it’s usually about a new flame.” Marinette said, waggling her eyebrows.

“God, am I that two-dimensional?” Kim asked. He felt that familiar worry creep up his skin. Was that all there was to him? Maybe Marinette was right before about him always having a crush on someone. Did he need to be into someone at all times? Was that all that Max was?

No, Max was more than that. He was positive of that by now. But the quiet panic didn’t go away.

“Hey,” Marinette said softly, and he felt her hand on his arm. “I didn’t mean it like – I didn’t mean to say it like it was a bad thing.” She explained. “You obviously have other stressors in your life, but you always know how to handle them. You’re a natural at your job, you obviously take really good care of yourself, and you’re a people person, even though you can be a little too – sure of yourself – sometimes.”

“You noticed that I take good care of myself? Like what you see, Mari?” Kim asked, raising a brow and flexing the arm that she was resting her hand on.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t pull her hand away. That’s something that Kim always admired about Marinette – she didn’t back down easily. “Love is a leap, Kim, and you know that. Being accepted by people – I know you worry about that a lot, even if you try not to show it. Sure you flirt and romance and even _propose_ ,” She said, giving him a small smile, “but real relationships, it’s the one gamble you’re always afraid to take.”

Kim looked at her in shock for a moment. “How the hell –?”

“You were right about me being a vigilante.” Marinette confessed, a serious look on her face. “I slipped in a radioactive puddle and now I can read minds.” She said, wiggling her fingers.

Kim couldn’t help but laugh. “Aw man, I almost slipped in that same puddle last week, does that mean I could’ve been a superhero too?”

“Maybe you can be my civilian sidekick who can run kind of fast.”

“As long as I get a cool costume I’m in. But let the record show that I can run _very_ fast.” Kim said. Then he remembered something. “Hey, guess who I saw yesterday?”

Marinette tapped a finger to her chin. “My archnemesis Dr. Butterfly?”

“Butterfly?” Kim asked.

Marinette shrugged. “Hey, I bet butterflies could be scary if you used them for malicious purposes.”

“Well no, I didn’t see Dr. Butterfly.” Kim said dryly.

“Drats, I’ll catch him one of these days.” Marinette said, putting her fist in her palm.

“Marineeeette.” Kim groaned, pulling lightly on her ponytail.

“Sorry, please continue.”

“I saw my ex-fiancé.” Kim said with a grin. He watched Marinette’s face immediately light up.

“You saw Nathanael?” Marinette asked, a smile on her face.

“Yeah, he works at that pizza place with the –”

“– amazing tomato sauce?” Marinette finished.

“That’s the one. He even has a girlfriend now apparently.”

“Our little Nath is growing up.” Marinette said, wiping away a fake tear.

“His work is being showcased at this art exhibit in a few days, you should come. It can be like a little reunion.”

“Oh I am so there.” Marinette said.

“So is today a day off for you? Do you want to grab some coffee?” Kim asked. He could see the Charles Arena a block away. He always seemed to gravitate towards that building.

Kim watched as Marinette looked around for a moment, and then she realized that he’d asked her a question. “Oh, um, not exactly. I mean, I have to pick up something for an upcoming photo shoot in a half-hour –”

“So you’ve got plenty of time Mari. You should sit down and relax, you look tense.”

“I’m sorry but I have…a thing.”

“A thing? A puddle related thing?”

“No, just some thing that someone is making me do.” Marinette said vaguely, giving him a half-smile. There was something in her eyes, was it…guilt?

“Mari –” Kim began, but then his vision went dark as he felt something being thrown over his head. “What the heck?! Mari?!”

“It’s not me!”

Kim felt someone tie a rope around his hands, and then he was being led down the street. “What’s going on? Mari?” He struggled against his bonds, but when that didn’t work he began to wonder if he should make a break for it. He could probably get far enough away before accidently running into the street.

“I know all of your pressure points.” A voice said. It sounded vaguely familiar.

“Where is the girl I was with?” Kim asked, concern in his voice as he was being almost dragged down the street. He thought about all of the Parisian citizens who were just watching this happen, or more likely ignoring it. It might have been early in the morning, but couldn’t anyone call the cops before they got their coffee? Then he heard the sound of a door opening and soon he was inside of a building.

“I told her she’d run if she knew what was good for her – and you.” The voice said, pushing Kim along. He could’ve sworn he heard a smothered laugh from across the room.

Wait a second. He _did_ know that voice.

“ _Alix_?!” Suddenly the hood was pulled from his head and he saw the short pink-haired girl before him. “Whattheheckyoualmostgavemeaheartattack!” He yelled, his voice an octave higher than usual. He would’ve waved his arms but they were still tied behind his back.

Alix rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Come on it was only a mild kidnapping.”

“Mild kidnapping?!” Then Kim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was suddenly very tired. “Why is this happening to me?”

“Get in the ring.” Alix commanded, already pulling herself up onto the platform.

Kim shook his head in disbelief and followed her lead. Soon they were both in the middle of the ring. The lights above them were on, but the seats in the audience were eerily dark.

“You ready, LB?” Alix called. Soon Ladybug came in through one of the fighter’s entrances.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” She asked, lifting herself up into the ring. She had on her usual red joggers and polka dot sports bra – and of course, her signature mask and pigtails.

“It’s necessary.” Alix said, looking back at Kim.

“Hey Sparky.” Ladybug said, giving Kim a friendly wave.

“So you’re in on this too, huh?” Kim asked.

Ladybug shrugged and put her hands on her hips. “Eh, I had some free time.”

“This is ridiculous. I’m leaving.” Kim said, shaking his head and moving towards the edge of the ring. But Ladybug moved to stand in his way.

“One round, you and me.” Alix said. He turned back around to face her. “You made out with my best friend. I saw my innocent sunshine flower of a best friend with _your_ tongue in his mouth on my favorite couch. Did you really think I wouldn’t do something about it?”

“I thought you just kind of, forgot about it.” Kim said, rubbing the back of his neck. He remembered going home that day and making sure to lock his doors. He was sure that Alix would find where he lived and hunt him down the moment he was alone – but she hadn’t. Kim never thought she’d have something bigger planned.

Note to self: Never underestimate Alix.

“I wish I could forget, Kimmy, I wish I could.” Alix said, shuddering. “You said before that you could take me in a fight, so here’s your chance. Fight one round against me and I’ll call it even.”

“I don’t think I can hit a girl.” Kim said, looking down at her.

“I’m not a girl.” Alix said, lifting her arms. “I’m a nightmare.”

Kim heard Ladybug giggle. “That was kinda cheesy, Alix. Also, I’m going to be late if you don’t start soon.”

Kim groaned and held up his fists as well. “Fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

An evil smile spread across Alix’s face. “Count us in, LB.”

“Start on three.” Ladybug said, moving to the edge of the ring. “One, two –”

Kim bent his knees a little and took a deep breath.

“Three.”

One moment Kim was looking at Alix, and the next he was looking at the ceiling. He felt a dull pain in his abdomen and right heel.

“Get up, Eiffel Tower.”

“Eiffel Tower?” Kim asked, groaning as he moved to stand up.

“Because you’re too tall and your hair is pointy.” Alix declared.

Ladybug smothered her laugh behind her hand.

“Very funny.” Kim said, about to throw a right hook. Then he remembered what Max had said when they were watching Chat Noir and Chloe fight.

_“He’ll probably start with a right hook. That_  is  _what 73% of fighters tend to do first.”_

What was it that Chat Noir did instead? Then Kim remembered.

He let his momentum continue with the hook, but then he used his speed to drop down and sweep his leg. He saw the shocked look on Alix’s face as she had to move to avoid it.

“Not bad, Kim.” Alix conceded, impressed. He turned and saw Ladybug’s nod of approval. He was about to reply with a witty remark when Alix grabbed his arm, ducked under him, and threw him over her shoulder.

“How are you this strong?” Kim wheezed, the air knocked out of his lungs.

“I’m a compact ball of rage.” Alix said, standing over him.

“True that.” Ladybug agreed, leaning against the ropes and crossing her arms.

“How much longer do I have to do this?” Kim asked, looking up at Alix from where he was lying down.

“Until I get the image of Max shirtless and straddling you out of my head.” Alix answered.

“It wasn’t like I forced him to do that!” Kim protested, waving his arms.

“Well you did hurry out of his apartment pretty damn fast.” Alix said, moving to sit on his stomach, pinning him down. “Right after bragging about how much practice you’ve had kissing people.” She added, pushing her elbow into a fleshy area near his collar bone – apparently she _did_ know his pressure points.

“He told you all that?” Kim asked. He could feel himself sweating as he felt panic rise up in his throat. “Is he – is he okay?”

Alix looked at him for a second, her eyes searching and – afraid. Then she sighed and moved to sit next to him. “I don’t know. He hasn’t really talked to me about it besides what I just told you.” She hugged her knees to her chest. “Max isn’t – he isn’t like you, okay? He thinks way too much, he gets really attached to things, and he _doesn’t_ take chances.”

Kim lifted himself up so that he could sit down. “Alix –”

“I don’t know what _you_ thought it was, but Max doesn’t just kiss people and get over it like it was nothing. Maybe it didn’t mean anything to you but I thought that –”

“It _did_ mean something.” Kim interrupted. “I – I care about Max a lot. So much that it scares me. I mean, we’ve only know each other for what? A week? It’s never gotten this serious before, and I’m afraid that we went too fast and I ruined it and he’s mad at me and I just,” Kim looked at Alix. “I really don’t want to mess this up.”

Alix looked at him for a moment, then she smiled and reached out to him. He flinched away out of instinct.

“We’re not fighting anymore, we’re square now.” Alix said, laughing as she put her hand on his shoulder. “And you haven’t messed it up, I can tell you that much. Just talk to him. He’s just as scared as you are.”

Kim nodded his head.

“Communication is key.” Ladybug agreed, still leaning against the ropes.

“We’ll now that that’s settled,” Alix said, standing up and brushing off her sweats. “LB, you have time for some training? I want to work on a new –”

Suddenly one of the side doors opened. Kim watched Alix’s expression harden when she saw who it was.

“We have the ring booked. If you could please leave so we could get some work done.” Chloe said, putting a hand on her hip as she stood outside of the ring. Kim saw Chat Noir standing behind her, looking at Ladybug with interest.

“I always have the ring from 8-10.” Alix said, glaring down at the blonde.

“You didn’t book it today. I can go get the list if you need proof.” Chloe replied coolly, not backing down.

“Can’t we just share the ring?” Chat asked, still looking at Ladybug. “I’m Chat Noir, by the way.” He told her, giving her a wink. Ladybug simply smiled and rolled her eyes.

“You’re not allowed to talk to my trainee!” Alix declared, pointing at Chat.

“And _you_ can’t tell _my_ trainee what he can and cannot do!” Chloe said, narrowing her eyes.

Alix groaned and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. “Why are you like this?”

“I would ask you the same thing.”

“Hey guys, let’s calm down, okay? We can figure this out.” Kim said, raising his hands as he looked at the two trainers.

“Stay out of this!” They both yelled. Kim snapped his mouth shut.

“Kim’s right. I need to leave soon anyway –” Ladybug began.

“Need an escort, my lady?”

Ladybug looked Chat up and down. “It’s Lady _bug_ to you, kitty.”

He gave her a wide grin. “Pet names already? I didn’t expect you to be so forward.” He teased, moving to rest his arms on the edge of the platform.

Ladybug leaned down until they were face-to-face, giving him a sweet smile. “I won’t hesitate to suplex you in our first match.” She said, flicking the bell on his costume.

Kim watched as Chat Noir’s face heated up. “N-noted.” He stammered.

Then Kim noticed that Alix and Chloe were still fighting.

“I’m not leaving this ring!” Alix declared, sitting down and crossing her arms.

Chloe huffed and climbed onto the ring, dragging Chat Noir with her. “Well we’re not leaving either!”

Alix stuck out her tongue.

“You’re such a child!” Chloe yelled, stomping her foot.

“Says the girl who cried when the snack machine ran out of her precious energy bars!” Alix shot back.

“That was a bad day for me and you know it!” Chloe said, whipping her ponytail angrily behind her. Kim could see the hurt in her eyes.

He saw the hurt in Alix’s eyes as well.

“It was a bad day for me too.” Alix said quietly. She looked at Chloe for a moment, and then bit her lip and angrily looked away. “Fine, we’ll leave. But this is a one-time thing.” She declared, standing back up and looking at Ladybug.

“Whatever.” Chloe said, looking away as well.

“Until we meet again, Bugaboo.” Chat said, smiling at Ladybug. But Kim also saw a tightness in his eyes. He kept glancing at Chloe.

Ladybug dropped down to the floor and looked back at Chat. “Train hard.” She said with a wink.

“I’ll make sure to talk to him, Alix.” Kim said, watching as she walked away.

She stopped and glanced back at him. “Thanks, Kim.” She looked at Chloe one more time, then she hunched her shoulders and walked away. Ladybug moved to catch up with her, putting a comforting hand on her back. It was silent until they were gone.

“Chloe –”

“I’m fine Ad – Chat Noir.” Chloe interrupted, glancing at Kim. “Let’s just start training, okay?”

Then something beeped. Chat sighed and rummaged around in his bag until he pulled out his phone. “Shoot! Chloe I’ve got to go I have a –” He looked at Kim. “I have that really important thing that I’ll be late to if I don’t leave now.”

Chloe sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Right. Okay, then I want to see you back here later today okay? I booked the regular afternoon session just in case this happened.”

“You’re the best, Chlo.” Chat Noir said, giving her a quick hug before grabbing his bag and jumping over the ropes and onto the ground. He looked at Kim and gave him a wide smile. “Ladybug, do you know who she is?”

“No clue.”

The smile on Chat’s face only got wider. “Whoever she is under that mask, I might love that girl.” With that he hurried towards the exit and slipped through the door.

Kim looked back at the darkened audience – he’d forgotten how empty it was.

“So…” Kim began, rocking on the balls of his feet. “Nice to see you again.”

He heard Chloe’s bitter laugh and watched as she moved to lean on the ropes. Her knuckles were white as she held on to them. “Yeah.”

“It’s none of my business,” Kim began, speaking softly. “But, are you okay? I mean, why are you and Alix, how did you two –”

“You’re right, it _is_ none of your business.” Chloe said, ducking under the ropes and landing gently on the ground. He saw how tense her shoulders were. She began to walk towards the door, but then she paused. “But if you _must_ know,” She said, not turning around. “She was my best friend. And one day – one day she just shut me out. And I still don’t know why.” She continued walking until she reached the door. When she opened it she turned to look at Kim.

“It was the first time I got my heart broken.”

Kim watched as the door closed behind her.

For the next few moments he could only stare at that door in silence, an empty audience watching him.

He needed to talk to Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm channelling a little of myself into Chloe tbh. It's sucks when you lose your best friend ://
> 
> Go get your man, Kim


	10. With Confidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my little nerd so much :')

Max pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and sat down on the park bench, hugging his knees to his chest.

He thought back to a couple days ago, when he didn’t have his glasses on, when there was nothing separating him from the world, from Kim, from his lips –

Maybe taking them off was a mistake. Maybe he could live in a glass box, watching life pass him by from the safety of his own space, where no one could touch him and nothing would change.

But things _had_ changed, and he couldn’t take it back. Time travel was just not mathematically possible yet. And he checked.

Max squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath.

_“Don’t worry, I will not let that get in the way of our professional relationship._ Or _our friendship.”_

That’s what he had promised Kim. And he broke that promise. He betrayed Kim’s trust, and now he was probably confused and angry. Max would never forget the look on Kim’s face as he practically ran out of his apartment.

He looked scared.

But a small, insistent part of Max kept telling him something worse – that for Kim it had meant nothing at all. It was just…practice. 

That’s why he was too afraid to see Kim again. Because what if he acted like everything was normal? What if he waved it off like it was no big deal?

Because it _was_ a big deal. It was such a big deal that Max’s heart could break from the weight of it.

‘What does this mean for us?’ Max couldn’t help but think. And think. And think.

That’s what he did. He thought about things until his brain hurt with information. It was safer that way.

Of course the one time he chooses not to think, but to act, he gets himself in trouble.

“How does Kim live like this?” Max thought, putting his head in his hands. He could feel his throat burn. It was too much.

He hated when he got like this. Kim was wrong. He _was_ a robot. A robot who shut down too often.

‘Did I scare him away?’

‘Did I ruin our friendship?’

‘Do I even like him like that?’

‘Does he hate me now?’

‘Why am I like this?’

‘Why am I like this?’

_‘Why am I like this?’_

Max realized that his breathing had become shallower.

No. He couldn’t do this. Not here in the park where people could see.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the trembling in his hands. He counted for five seconds, then held it in for three, and then exhaled for seven. He kept doing it until his breathing evened out somewhat.

“That was too close Max.” He breathed, hanging his head. He knew that was only a temporary solution. He had to do something to fix this. He had to talk to Kim, and he had to sort out his own feelings.

And whatever happened, Max needed to be ready to accept it.

But he didn't feel ready at all.

“Porca miseria!” A voice said. Max opened his eyes and picked his head up. Near the park fountain he saw an older man shaking his camera and looking at it in anger.

“This thing never works when I need it to!” The man said with a thick Italian accent. “It’s more temperamental than my wife, and she’s a-crazy! The love of my life, but a-crazy!”

“Here, Vincent, let me take a look at it.” Another, calmer, voice said. Then Max spotted someone around his age, a good looking guy with blond hair and a bright smile. He walked over to the photographer and held out his hands. The older man gave it to him and huffed in frustration.

The younger man looked at it for a second, and then shook it lightly. When that didn’t work he looked back up at the photographer. “That’s all I got.”

Vincent slumped his shoulders in defeat. “Your father is going to kill me if this puts him behind schedule.”

“It’ll be okay.” The blond said, patting Vincent’s back. But Max could see the worry on his face.

Then Vincent picked his head up and caught Max staring at him.

“Hey you,” The photographer said, walking up to Max. “Do you know anything about fixing cameras?”

Max sat there in surprise for a moment, thoughts of Kim and love and panic fading as he stared at the Italian man who was pointing a finger at him.

“Hey Vincent, don’t scare the poor guy.” The blond said, joining them. Max shifted his attention towards him and realized that he’d seen him before.

“You’re the guy on the billboards.” Max said, racking his brain for a name as he moved to stand up.

The blond chuckled and rubbed his neck bashfully. “That’s me. My name’s Adrien.”

That’s right. Adrien Agreste. Famous model. Most eligible bachelor in Paris. His father was one of the biggest designers in Europe. No big deal.

“I’m Max,” He said, holding out a hand. “You know only about two percent of the world’s population has green eyes. And it’s actually a genetic mutation. It’s funny how mutations can become attractive.” Max said, adjusting his glasses. God, why did social interaction always make him so _nervous_?

Vincent looked at him in confusion while Adrien shook his hand and smiled.

“I think I’ve met you before.” Adrien said, looking at him thoughtfully.

“I feel like I would remember meeting a famous model.” Max replied.

Adrien furrowed his brow in thought, then his eyes brightened in recognition. “Wait I know! I saw you at the –” Then his mouth snapped shut and his eyes widened. “I mean, you’re right, nevermind, I was thinking about someone else.” He said hurriedly, letting out a nervous laugh.

Vincent looked between the two of them in exasperation. Then he held out his camera to Max. “Can you fix it or not?”

“What makes you think he can fix it?” Adrien asked.

“Because he’s small and wears glasses. He probably knows all sorts of techy things.” Vincent replied simply.

“You know the scientific correlation between eyesight and field of interest is not very strong.” Max said, remembering saying those exact same words to Kim. It felt like a forever ago. He clenched his jaw and pushed away the memory.

“So you can’t fix it?”

Max sighed and took the camera. “I can.” He turned the camera over in his hands. “When I was little my younger brother and I used to take apart cameras, toys cars, all sorts of stuff for fun.” He explained, opening one of the compartments.

Vincent had a smug look on his face as he glanced at Adrien. Adrien simply rolled his eyes and smiled.

Max took out the battery and memory card.

“Please be careful with that! That has a week’s worth of photos and I haven’t backed them up yet.” Vincent said, eyes wide.

“Now that’s not very responsible.” Adrien teased, blinking innocently up at him.

Max glanced up at Vincent and lightly hit the camera with his palm. He watched as the photographer bit his lip. “The person who invented photography was French, Nicéphore Niépce.”

Vincent tapped his foot. “Yes, but Italy has the best photographers.”

Adrien furrowed his brow. “I thought Italians were more known for their paintings.” Max could hear the tease in his tone.

Vincent frowned. “Italy is the paragon of _all_ art.”

“But France has the _Mona Lisa_.” Adrien pointed out.

“And it was an Italian who _painted_ the _Mona Lisa_.” Vincent replied.

Max adjusted the lens barrel. “da Vinci might have painted her, but Paris put her in a glass pyramid for the world to see. I think that’s a little more impressive.”

Adrien snorted behind his hand as Vincent shot him a glare.

“Young people these days, mio Dio.” He said, rolling his eyes.

Max put the battery and memory card back into the camera and then looked through the view finder. “It works now.”

“Really?” Vincent exclaimed, carefully taking back his camera.

Max shrugged. “It just needed to reset. And the barrel was stuck.”

“Grazie. Sono salvo!” Vincent exclaimed, kissing his camera.

 “It’s what we visually impaired people do, I suppose.” Max said, sitting back down on the bench. ‘It was a nice distraction, while it lasted.’ He thought to himself, his shoulders tense as memories from that day came flooding back once more.

“Hey, can I actually ask you for a favor?” Adrien said, looking down at Max with a wide smile.

“Okay.” Max said suspiciously.

“Take some pictures with me.”

“Wh-what?” Max choked out, eyes blown wide.

“You’ve heard of the Cheerleader Effect, right?” Adrien asked, moving to sit next to him on the bench.

“Of course. It’s the psychological bias that makes people think that individuals are more attractive when they are part of a group.”

Adrien nodded his head. “It’s so boring doing these things on my own, but if I had someone do it _with_ me,” He explained, pulling Max gently to his feet, “Not only will it be more fun, but I’ll look more attractive.”

“You know, we _have_ been looking for a new angle,” Vincent said, looking Max up and down. “appeal to a larger audience of people.” He smiled. “Yes, I think your father would approve.”

Max squirmed under their gaze. “I’m not sure if I can – I mean,” He couldn’t help but think of Kim in that moment. He would jump at the chance to have pictures taken of him, let alone pictures with a famous model that would probably be seen in magazines. It was like Kim had this aura of confidence around him at all times. Nothing could touch him, nothing could stop him. Le Chien Kim believed that anything was possible – so much so that he could get the people around him to start believing as well.

Computers were simple. People were not simple. Facts and logic, those things were concrete.

Max was made to think, not to act.

But what if he believed that he could do something more? What if he did what Kim would do, and started to run?

Max took a deep breath and looked at Adrien’s pleading gaze. “You know what? As a famous painter once said, ‘What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?’”

“da Vinci?” Vincent asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“No. Van Gogh.” Max said with a smile.

“Another point for France!” Adrien whooped, throwing an arm over Max’s shoulders and leading him towards the fountain. Max could hear Vincent sigh behind them.

“Okay, so this is for our fall collection, so put on this and this,” Vincent said, handing Max a dark green sweater and a tweed chestnut jacket. As Max started to put them on Vincent turned to Adrien and handed him a long charcoal coat. Vincent checked his watch. “We’re waiting on a few more items. She should be here by now.” He said, furrowing his brow.

“I’m here!” A girl said, running up to them with a bag in her hands. A few loose strands of hair from her ponytail framed her face, and she took a moment to catch her breath. “I’m here.” She breathed.

“Hey Marinette.” Adrien said, giving her a small wave. Max watched the pink in the girl – Marinette’s – cheeks darken, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t from the running.

“Hi Adrien.” She said with a sweet smile. She stared at him for a moment, and then shook her head and reached into the bag. “So I have a few scarves, a few beanies, and another sweater.” She told Vincent, pulling them out gently.

“Thank you, Marinette.” Vincent said with a smile. He held two scarves up in front of Adrien and narrowed his eyes. “Which one do you think?”

Marinette looked surprised for a moment, and then she looked Adrien up and down. “The blue one.” She said firmly. Vincent handed her the scarf and she put it around Adrien’s neck. After a few adjustments she looked at her work and smiled. “Yeah, the blue one.” Marinette lifted her eyes and saw that Adrien was smiling at her, and her own smile widened. Then she noticed Max.

Max saw something in her eyes that he couldn’t quite place. She looked amused, like him being there was an inside joke. But also, concerned? Like she knew something that he didn’t. It was a little unnerving. He cleared his throat and stepped forwards. “I’m Max. I fixed their camera and now they’re making me model.”

Marinette giggled behind her hand. “Did you take this poor guy hostage?” She asked, looking at Adrien.

Adrien blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “When you put it that way, maybe? A little? But he agreed to it eventually.”

Marinette looked at Max for a moment and then smoothed out the collar of his jacket. “Well you look like a natural, Max. I bet you’ll turn some heads.” She added with a wink.

“Okay, let’s place you two.” Vincent said, lifting his camera up to his face. Adrien shrugged on the gray coat and glanced at Max.

“This is when Vincent gets into his ‘artistic zone’.” Adrien whispered.

Max quirked an eyebrow.

“He usually starts to talk about pasta. Particularly your mother’s pasta.” Marinette added with a shrug.

“Oh.” Max said, watching as Vincent adjusted his lens.

“Okay, so I want you two to stand a little to the right of the fountain. No, more right. Even more. Okay perfect.” Vincent said, still looking through his camera. “Marinette? Can you adjust them a little? Kind of like what we did with the spring shoot with the rain jackets?”

Marinette led Max over to the edge of the fountain. “Okay you can sit right here.” Max did what he was told and watched as Marinette moved Adrien to stand beside him.

“Now angle yourself –” Marinette said, putting his hands lightly on Adrien’s chest so that he was facing the camera better.

“Like this?” He asked, looking down at her.

“You’re perfect.” Marinette said a little dreamily. Then her eyes widened and she quickly stepped back from him. “I mean, that’s perfect, you’re – it’s perfect.” She said, hurrying to stand by Vincent.

“Now talk to each other!” Vincent said, backing up a few steps. “Talk about the pasta your mother made you as a child!”

Max looked at Adrien. “You weren’t kidding about the pasta thing.”

“It’s the kind of thing you can’t really make up.” Adrien said with a smile. Then he rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks for doing this, by the way. I hope you didn’t feel too pressured. If you ever feel uncomfortable –”

“It’s not too bad.” Max said with a smile. “It’s better than what I was doing before, anyway.”

“Now Adrien, put your hands in your coat pockets and face the camera a little more!” Vincent said. Adrien did as he was told.

“What were you doing before?” Adrien asked as Vincent continued to snap photos.

Max pursed his lips and looked past Adrien. They stayed like that in silence for a moment. “Have you ever been in love?” He decided to ask.

Adrien looked caught off guard for a second but he quickly smoothed out his expression and looked at the sky in thought. “I’m not sure. I think I am – at least, I hope I am.”

“You hope?”

“Okay Max you can stand up now! Take a few steps closer to Adrien!” Vincent called. Max glanced at Marinette, who was inspecting one of the sweaters. Then he got up and stood next to Adrien.

“It would be an honor to fall in love with a girl like that.” Adrien said, looking at Max. There it was – that aura of confidence that Max wanted for himself. If only there was some sort of equation he could use, or a cheat code. If only everything was quantifiable.

“What about you? For someone who’s so good at fixing things, I bet you still leave a lot of broken hearts.” Adrien teased.

Max smiled and crossed his arms. “Not exactly,” He said. Then he chewed his lip. “I mean, I think that maybe I might love this person? But at the same time, I only met him about a week ago. There’s a process for these kinds of things. Steps to go through, levels to beat, it’s not supposed to happen this fast.”

“Why not?”

Max looked up at him in confusion.

Adrien smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. “The girl I just mentioned? I just met her about a half hour ago.”

Max looked at him for a moment in surprise. Then he shook his head and laughed. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not!” Adrien exclaimed.

“You can’t fall in love in that short of a time.” Max said incredulously.

“In my opinion, all it takes is a moment.” Adrien said with a smile, looking somewhere in the distance and moving his hand away from Max’s shoulder. “One moment, you’re living your life and things feel normal and comfortable, and then, and then you _see_ them and – and your life isn’t comfortable anymore.”

Max scoffed. “That doesn’t sound appealing.”

Adrien turned to face Max once more and smiled. “When you look into the eyes of someone you can love, you realize that your life _wasn’t_ comfortable in the first place. Something was missing, and that incompleteness nags at you and nags at you until you realize – it was them. _This person_ was what you were missing.”

Max looked at Adrien with wide eyes. Ever since he first met Kim, he began to change. And it wasn’t that he felt pressured to be something he wasn’t when he was around Kim. It was that he wanted to be everything he _could_ be. Was that – was that was love was?

Adrien sighed. “I don’t know if I’m in love. Maybe a moment isn’t enough. But I swear, that moment felt like its own lifetime. And I still can’t get her out of my head.”

“I know the feeling.” Max said quietly, clasping his hands.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Adrien said, whispering even though Vincent and Marinette were too far away to hear them.

“Do you live a double life as a superhero?” Max asked seriously. Adrien looked at him for a moment. “I’m kidding.” Max said.

Adrien smiled. “As cool as that would be, sadly no. I hate modeling.”

Max looked at the camera and then back at Adrien. “You know that’s what we’re doing right now, right?”

Adrien slung an arm around Max’s shoulders and looked at the camera. “Well, would you look at that?” He mused, waving at the camera. Max could hear Vincent’s sigh. “I don’t like modeling, but I have to do it, that is, until I get rid of my college debt.”

“Isn’t your father one of the wealthiest men in Paris?” Max asked, looking at Adrien in disbelief.

“That he is.” Adrien said, pointing a finger at him. “And he was also not very happy when I told him that I wanted to major in physics and get a teaching degree instead of taking over his business.”

“You want to be a physics teacher?” Max asked.

“That’s the dream. And it will remain a dream until I make enough money to pay my father back for my tuition, that was the deal.” Adrien explained, smiling for the camera. “So I’m trying to make enough money as fast as possible so I can start living the life I want to live.”

“And that’s why you still model.”

“That’s why I still model.” Adrien said, nodding his head. “But I also have a new job coming up that’ll hopefully make me some more money.”

“I can picture it now: famous model Adrien Agreste delivering pizza. I actually know a guy if you need an in.” Max teased. He realized that he was finding it easier to talk to Adrien. He wasn’t as nervous anymore. Maybe it was because he reminded Max a little bit of Kim. Or maybe Max was beginning to feel like he didn’t need to overthink everything.

Adrien leaned away from Max and crossed his arms playfully. “Adrien Agreste will not be a delivery boy, thank you very much. Although it is a respectable profession, I managed to set something up that’s a little more my style.”

“And that is?”

Adrien put a finger to his lips. “It’s a secret.”

Max quirked an eyebrow. “Are you a drug dealer?”

Adrien choked and looked at him with wide eyes. “No I’m not a – I don’t –” Then he began to laugh. “It’s not illegal, I promise.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure how hirable you’d be as a teacher if it got out that you ran an underground drug cartel.” Max said simply.

“You know, you’re probably right.” Adrien said, nodding his head seriously.

“And we’re finished!” Vincent said, packing up his camera.

“Already?” Adrien asked, walking over to where Vincent and Marinette were standing. Max followed.

“Yeah, you two looked great.” Marinette said. “I mean you always look great Adrien but having you two talking made it look so natural and Vincent got a really nice picture of you laughing and –” Marinette took a breath, “You both did good.” She said. Then she quickly moved away and began to pack up some of the equipment.

“Marinette is right.” Vincent said, slinging his camera bag over his shoulder. “I barely had to say anything. You might be Adrien’s lucky charm.” He said, looking at Max.

Max blushed and looked at his shoes. “You have to love the Cheerleader Effect.”

Vincent scoffed and pulled out his camera. “Hold on.” He looked at his camera until his eyes lit up. Then he showed it to Max.

Max looked at the screen and saw a close-up of him smiling. He looked so – unlike himself.

“You have to give yourself some credit Max, you’re a natural.” Vincent said with a smile. “You looked so comfortable in front of the camera.”

Comfortable. Vincent was right. He _had_ felt comfortable. He thought he would panic once he was put in front of the camera but it just – never happened. A week ago Max never would have done something like this – but after meeting Kim –

Comfortable. Confident. All because he met Kim in that elevator.

He knew now. He didn’t kiss Kim just because he was attracted to him. He kissed Kim because he helped Max believe in himself.

Maybe Kim didn’t like him like that.

Maybe Kim didn’t think the kiss meant anything.

But he wasn’t going to drive himself crazy thinking about it. He was going to _do_ something, and he had enough confidence in himself to know that he would get through this – no matter what happened.

He shrugged off his jacket, pulled his sweater over his head, and handed them over to Marinette.

“This was a lot of fun, thank you.” Max said, looking between Vincent and Adrien.

“We couldn’t have done it without you.” Vincent said, holding up his camera. “Maybe the French have _some_ things going for them.” He said with a smile.

“We should do it again sometime.” Adrien offered, taking off his coat. “I can keep you updated on my drug cartel.” Vincent gave him a startled look.

Max chuckled “I’d like that.”

“It was nice meeting you Max.” Marinette said. There was a mischievous glint in her eye that he couldn’t quite understand.

Max smiled and then jogged back to the bench he was sitting at. He grabbed his bag and made his way out of the park.

There was only one thing on his mind:

He needed to talk to Kim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is such a dork and I love writing him. And I especially love writing him and Marinette together.
> 
> Somehow my new brotp is Adrien with every member of the class. Adrien just needs all the friends.


	11. With Ins and Outs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this took a long time. School has made me so incredibly busy, but I finally managed to find a week where I could update my fics. It feels so good to have time to write :') 
> 
> I hope you guys like it, and thank you to everyone who is still here reading this story <33

Finding Max was easier said than done. After knocking on Max’s door for twenty minutes, running past the nearest park, and going back to a now empty arena, he began to wonder if Max had fallen off the world entirely.

Max couldn’t have just left though, right?

Kim took a deep breath as he stood in front of the PFL office building, looking up at its endless floors.

Regret was a big deal for Kim. He knew he never wanted to live with any. Regrets were like burrs that stuck to your clothing, never easy to take off and prickly against your fingers as you began to pull. And you never seemed to notice them until they were everywhere.

Kim knew that there were many kinds of regrets in life – things people wished they’d said, or done, or _not_ done – places they wished they had gone, things they wished they had tried.

Risks they wished they’d taken.

Risks they wished they hadn’t.

Yes, Kim knew that regret was – he just didn’t think he would have any.

He clenched his fists and walked to the front door, throwing it open and slipping into the building.

He _refused_ to have any.

 

 

It was only until Max had walked out of the elevator and stopped at the top floor that he fully realized how illogical he was being.

‘The probability of Kim being in this exact spot at this exact time is highly unlikely Max.’ He thought to himself, letting out a sigh as he adjusted his glasses. The only other place he knew to check was the arena, and it was eerily empty.

“I don’t even know where he lives!” Max said to himself, throwing his arms in frustration. The secretary down the hall shushed him, and he gave out a soft apology as he felt his cheeks warm in embarrassment.

‘How do I not even know where he lives?’ Max thought, moving to lean against the wall. He knew that Kim loved to run, he knew that he proposed when he was a little kid, he knew he was friends with Max’s pizza guy, he knew he played Mario Kart and was sensitive about his hair and couldn’t help but be loud and bright and beautiful when he was talking about something he loved. He knew what his lips felt like brushed against his own, soft and a little unsure, and yet so unashamedly open –

How could he know all that, and not know his address?

Maybe they’d gone about this whole thing backwards. It definitely didn’t seem to follow all of the formulas and sequences that Max would’ve anticipated in a normal relationship.

But maybe he didn’t want it to be normal. Maybe he liked the way it was – that it was so distinctly _theirs_.

Maybe that’s what made the idea of him losing all that so much worse.

Max walked back to the elevator and pressed the button. After the doors opened and he stepped into the empty elevator, one thought came to mind.

When did all of these ‘maybes’ replace the concrete ‘yes’ and ‘no’s of his life?

 

 

Kim pressed the button for the elevator, but as he watched its agonizingly slow crawl from the top floor to the lobby, he decided that the stairs would be faster. And he always chose the faster option.

‘Maybe that’s my problem.’ Kim considered as he began to run up the stairs. He would check each floor, and then if that didn’t work he would go to the IT department and talk to Sabrina. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but planning was Max’s thing, not his.

‘I always rush into things. I just need to learn to slow down.’ Kim thought as he made it to the second floor. He looked up and down the hallway, but when he didn’t see that familiar head of dark brown hair he decided to try his luck on the third floor. ‘But how do I do that?’ He asked himself, pumping his arms as he turned the corner in the stairwell. Then he came to a stop in the middle of the stairway.

“How do I do that?” He asked aloud, hearing the soft echoes bounce off the concrete walls.

 

 

The elevator doors opened to the lobby, but as Max was about to walk out he stopped.

‘What should I do now?’ He asked himself. He could see the glass doors that led outside. He watched as people hurried past the building, probably heading to work or breakfast or to see a friend. Going about their own daily routine, a million lives following their own thread. Should Max join them? He knew that Alix was worried about him, maybe he should talk to her. Or he could always pick up some eggs like he’d been planning to do all week. Or he could just go home and get some desperately needed sleep.

He could talk to Kim another day. There was always tomorrow.

Max took a step forward, but then he hesitated. He looked at the city street once more, at the people following their threads, and then he stepped back inside the elevator, the doors closing in front of him.

He pressed the button for the sixth floor and ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t know what he was doing, and it made him uncomfortable.

But it also felt right.

 

 

“Good morning Kim!” A voice called. Kim turned around and spotted Rose walking towards him with a bright smile on her face.

“Hey Rose, how’s it going?” He asked, standing by the door to the stairs. He had checked every floor, and when he went to the IT department Sabrina wasn’t there. He was out of ideas.

“Oh just bringing these files back to my desk.” Rose said, looking down at the tall stack of papers in her arms.

“Here let me help.” Kim offered, holding out his arms.

Rose smiled warmly and gave him half the stack. “Thank you very much. Good thing my desk isn’t far.” She said, gesturing over her shoulder. Together they began to walk down the hall.

“So what are you doing here today?” Rose asked.

“Just thought I’d get some work done that I’ve been putting off.” Kim admitted. “Have you seen Max anywhere? I needed to, um, ask him something. Paperwork.”

“He stopped by last week to pick up his check, but that’s the last time I remember seeing him.” Rose answered, furrowing her brow in thought. Then she smoothed her expression and smiled. “He’s very nice. I can’t wait to see you two on TV together.”

“Yeah, only two more weeks.” Kim said, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.

“Louis and Lynette are trying to convince Maman to let them watch it. They know that she’s the big softie.” Rose said.

Kim chuckled. “I never would’ve guessed that you’d be the ‘bad cop’.”

Rose gasped and swatted him with her files. “I’m not the bad cop! I just don’t want to hear stories of Lynette body slamming Louis or Louis suplexing Lynette anymore. I love the PFL but I don’t need two four-year-old pro-fighters in the house.” She said, sounding exasperated. But Kim could see the amusement in her eyes.

“Juleka must have her work cut out for her.” Kim observed.

Rose scoffed. “I walked in on her teaching them how to throw a right hook the other night. I would’ve made her sleep on the couch if it wasn’t so adorable.”

Kim laughed as they turned the corner. “Just wait until they’re teenagers.”

Rose groaned as Kim opened the door to her office block. “Don’t remind me.” She walked to her desk and carefully set down her stack of files. Then she took the ones that Kim was holding and placed them on top. “Thanks for helping me.”

“I was happy to do it. Now I can feel like I at least got something done.” Kim admitted, trying to keep the tightness out of his voice.

“You’re doing a great job. The Lavillant-Couffaine family is very proud of how far you’ve come. We’re rooting for you.”

“Thanks Rose.” Kim said softly, but with meaning. “I’ll try and snag some free t-shirts for the twins after the first match.”

“They’d love that.” Rose said with a sweet smile, moving to sit at her desk.

“See you later.” Kim said, opening the door to the hallway.

“Have a great day Kim!” Her heard her call as he slipped back into the hallway. He began to walk to the elevators – he had enough stairs for the day. He couldn’t help but slump his shoulders a little in defeat, but he kept moving forward.

Because when all else fails, that’s simply what you have to do.

 

 

Max had decided to check in on Sabrina. At least then he could feel like he accomplished something. He walked out of the elevator and headed towards the all too familiar office block. The place that was his second home for so long before he got this new job that turned his life upside down in the most fantastic, terrifying way.

He walked in and could hear the gentle whirring of computers. He breathed in its familiarity, and a sense of calm came over him. Then he spotted a bob of orange hair under one of the desks.

“Computer 113 having problems again?” Max asked, adjusting his glasses. He could hear a sigh from under the computer, and then some shuffling.

“I don’t know why we haven’t just replaced it at this point.” Sabrina grumbled, moving around some wires.

“Because fixing it ourselves builds character.” Max declared. Sabrina shifted so that she could look at him from her place on the floor, her eyebrow raised. “Translation: we don’t have the budget.”

Sabrina nodded her head. “That sounds about right.” Then she stood up and dusted off her skirt. “Come with me to grab some coffee down the hall?”

“Of course.”

They walked out the door and took a right down the hall, away from the rest of the office blocks. At the end of the hall was a little room with a microwave and a coffee pot.

“You don’t understand how much I need this.” Sabrina said, pouring some coffee into one of the styrofoam cups. Max watched the steam curl out of it as she added a spoonful of sugar.

“Have you been working some late nights?” Max asked, leaning against the table.

Sabrina blew a strand of hair out of her face and took a careful sip from her cup. “Yeah, I installed that new update you told me about and then the whole building lost power a few nights ago and I had to start all over again.” She said with a sigh. “And I got off the phone with Chloe about a half hour ago and it doesn’t sound like she’s been having a good day.” She stirred her coffee absentmindedly with her spoon, worry obvious in the set of her mouth.

“I can spend more time here, you know, before the season starts. I’ll do whatever I can to help.” Max assured her. And maybe it would be for the best if he had something to keep his mind occupied. Something that didn’t have gray eyes and a cocky smile.

“You’re already here twice a week,” Sabrina said. “No, I need to learn how to do this by myself. I need to prove that you didn’t make the wrong choice by putting me in charge.”

Max smiled and walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I already know that I didn’t. Trust me, I ran all the algorithms.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes and smiled.

“And even without the math, I know what you’re capable of. I have every confidence that you can do this.” Max added. She gave him a grateful smile.

“I should go back to 113. I think I’ve almost gotten her up and running again.” Sabrina said, moving towards the doorway.

“If all else fails, I’ve learned that a good kick can do the trick.” Max advised as they both entered the hallway and made their way back to the IT department.

“Noted.” Sabrina said, stopping at the doorway. “And good luck Max, with the job, with your new partner – with everything.”

Max looked at her for a moment, and then he smiled. “Thank you.”

With that, Sabrina walked back into the office block, leaving Max to stand in the hallway alone.

“Maybe I’ll check the lobby one last time on my way out.” Max reasoned, heading for the elevator. He didn’t want to give up. He felt like he _couldn’t_ give up.

Then he realized something.

“I’m an idiot!” Max yelled, smacking his forehead. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I can just text him and ask him where he is.” He said to himself, opening up his contact. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought of that sooner. He felt like the protagonist in every romance movie – chasing after the love of his life before they left forever without realizing that a simple phone call would be much more logical. He never thought he’d become that person. It almost left a sick taste in his mouth.

He pushed the button and walked into the elevator once it arrived, somewhat surprised that it was empty once again. He began to think about what he was going to type.

Then he heard a voice.

 

 

Kim heard the ding of the elevators and hurried down the hall.

“Hey can you hold it!” He called out. He could see the elevator doors closing, and began to slow down – he could just wait for the next one. Then he saw a hand shoot out and stop the doors.

He quickened his pace once more and slipped inside the elevator, watching the doors close in front of him. He was about to press the button for the lobby but he saw that it was already lit up.

“Thank you.” He said, turning to face the person who was in the elevator with him. What he saw was two wide brown eyes and a mouth slightly agape.

“No problem.” Max said quietly, like any loud sound would pop this bubble that seemed to be enclosed around them.

 

 

As Max looked up at Kim his mind drifted to another time. A time that now felt like a forever ago, but in reality was closer to two weeks.

He was so afraid then, so nervous about what to do and what to say and where to place his hands. Worried that he was going to ask for too much, that he’d be laughed at, that he would take this risk and regret it forever. There was a tightness in his stomach, in his chest, coiling up his throat until he felt that all too familiar sense of not being able to breathe.

And then Kim had run right into his life, pulling those doors open before they could close around Max, leaving him alone.

Of course Kim didn’t really know all that he was doing. And at that point Max hadn’t either. He didn’t know that he needed someone to do that for him.

Max supposed that it was only fitting that they would see each other again in much the same fashion.

Maybe fate wasn’t just a game of probability and psychology. Maybe there was a little bit of magic in it too.

 

 

Kim opened his mouth to speak, but he was at a loss of what to say. He wasn’t good at this sort of thing.

He always loved attention, basked in it, but as Max was staring at him it felt like the whole world was looking at him, and it choked the words in his throat. Because what do you say when the whole world is looking at you?

He ran a nervous hand through his hair. “Long time no see.” He said, and then immediately fought the urge to smack himself in the forehead.

“Indeed.” Max said. He was unnaturally still, like a deer caught in the headlights.

They stayed like that for a moment, until Kim couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m sorry –” He began.

“I like you!” Max yelled, interrupting him. Kim looked at him with wide eyes, whatever he had to say dying in his throat. He saw that Max’s eyes were shut tight, his head pointed towards the ground.

“I really like you!” Max said. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, I’ll understand but –” He hesitated, then he opened his eyes and looked straight at Kim. “I don’t want to have any regrets! Not when it comes to you! Not when it comes to – us.” Max said that last part quietly, and yet he refused to look away. It was like he was challenging Kim to say something, and he knew that Kim couldn’t back away from a challenge.

Kim paused. “ _Do_ you regret it?” he asked softly.

“What? Meeting you? Becoming friends? That kiss?” Max asked.

Kim nodded his head. “I made a mess of things, I rushed us into all this, it’s my fault that –”

Max held up a hand. “Every morning you go on the same jog, correct?”

Kim looked at him in confusion. “Uh, yes?”

“People always corner themselves into the thinking that we need to take the same route every day. There are steps to take, roads to cross, stop lights to consider.” Max explained, adjusting his glasses. “That’s what I believed in in so long. Crosswalks, red lights, they’re there to keep us safe. To protect us. But if we never take a chance, if we never go our own way, go a _new_ way for once, have we even moved at all?” Max looked into Kim eyes, almost like he was searching for something.

“We went our own way, Kim, and I was able to experience things I never had before. How could I regret that?”

Kim looked at him in silence for a moment. “What if we get hurt?”

Max smiled. “I’d rather take the risk then be too afraid to try.”

“I really like you too.” Kim blurted out. “I’ve been so stupid about all of this. It's just – this is all new to me. I thought for it to be right it had to be easy, and this wasn’t easy.” Kim said with a soft laugh. “But maybe things like this can be hard too.”

Max laughed. “This has been ridiculously hard.”

Kim looked down at him thoughtfully, then he leaned over and pressed the stop button on the elevator. “Can I kiss you?”

Max’s eyes widened, and then he nodded his head.

Kim leaned down and pressed his lips against Max’s – slow and soft. A sense of want hung between them – but after a moment Kim realized it was more of a need. Kim needed Max to understand, to know exactly how he felt. But he needed more than that – he needed to know that Max was really here with him in the elevator where they first met, his hands shaking a little as they ran through his hair.

In this moment, he needed Max. And Max needed him. And Kim could feel a sense of relief wash over him with the knowledge that this moment wouldn’t end once the doors opened. 

This moment could last forever, if they wanted it to.

And they did.


	12. With Starlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! Now that's it's holiday break and my finals are over I finally have time to *fingers crossed* update my fics. 
> 
> I've actually been taking the time to write an original story that I've been planning for a while, so that's been taking up a majority of my writing time, but I promise I haven't forgotten about my incomplete fics.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! And thank you to everyone who's still reading! :D

“I’m trying to understand.” Kim said, tilting his head to the side and furrowing his brow. “But I don’t.”

“I guess that’s the point of art.” Max said, moving to stand beside him. “There rarely ever is one answer.” He paused for a moment. “It’s quite irritating.”

Kim tore his eyes away from the painting he was looking at and glanced at Max, who was obviously still puzzled by the colorful canvas in front of him. Kim couldn’t help but smile.

After a moment Max realized that Kim was looking at him. “What?”

“You’re pouting.” Kim said.

Max crossed his arms. “I don’t pout! This is my thinking face.”

Kim laughed. “Whatever you say.” He said, reaching to hold Max’s hand. Max looked down at their hands in surprise for a moment, and then he looked back up at Kim and smiled.

“This kind of looks like a dress from Mr. Agreste’s summer 2015 line.” Marinette said, coming to stand on Kim’s other side. “He went for really bold colors that year.” She noticed that Kim and Max were holding hands, and gave Kim a knowing smile when Max wasn’t looking. Kim gave her a playful nudge, and she hid her laughter behind her hand.

Kim had been worried about Max and Marinette meeting – his first crush and his boyfriend.

Yeah, Max was his boyfriend now. That fact would never stop leaving a pleasant warmth in his chest.

But Kim had nothing to worry about. When they went to pick Marinette up at the bakery he discovered that Max and Marinette had actually already met. Max had to explain to Kim how he was coerced into doing a photo shoot with Adrien Agreste. Kim made Marinette promise to sneak him some photos, much to Max’s embarrassment.

And now they were here at the art exhibit, waiting for Nathanael to give them a proper tour.

Kim didn’t realize life could be this perfect. That there would be a time where he could slow down for a little while, and enjoy what’s around him.

He always thought that he was working towards some sort of finish line, but now he knew that life wasn’t about finish lines. Life was about finding people who wanted to be at your side as you pushed onward.

“Now that I think about it, it kind of reminds me of the Arena.” Max said, scanning his eyes over the canvas. “You know, when it’s full of people, right before a fight’s about to start. It’s like each brush stroke is a person – a person with their own color and excitement and dreams. All of these individuals that have come together to create something…wonderful.”

Kim looked at the painting once more, noticing the little tendrils of color that spread up the canvas like the tails of stars. “You’re right, it does look a lot like the Arena.” Kim said after a moment, smiling. Then he looked at Marinette. “You should see the place sometime. I could probably hook you up with a season pass if you’re interested.”

Marinette looked unsure for a moment, but then clasped her hands in front of her and smiled. “That’s very nice of you, Kim, but with the internship and helping out my parents it might be hard to find time. I’ll try and make it to a match though.”

“If you can only come to one you should definitely try and make it to one of the Ladybug or Chat Noir fights, those will definitely be exciting.” Max said, turning to look at Marinette.

“I guess it _would_ be fun to see Chat Noir in the ring, I heard he’s quite the character.” Marinette said, a certain gleam in her eyes.

“Oh yeah I’ve seen him fight, he’s amazing. My money’s on him when he fights Ladybug.” Kim said. Marinette raised an eyebrow at that.

“I don’t know, Kim. Alix has been telling me about her trainee and she seems like a formidable opponent. Chat Noir might have a hard time beating her.” Max said seriously, almost like he was working out the calculations and probabilities in his head.

“I guess we’ll just have to see.” Marinette offered, crossing her arms and smiling.

Hey guys! You made it.” A voice said behind them. Kim turned around and saw Nathanael. He was dressed in a dark gray suit and had the top half of his hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was also standing next to a woman with tan skin and long brown hair, who was wearing a dark orange dress. Nathanael had his arm respectfully around her waist.

“Wow Nathanael, you clean up nice.” Kim said, nodding his head in approval. He could tell that Nathanael was trying hard not to blush. It was nice to know that Nathanael hadn’t changed too much from when they were kids.

“Nathanael it’s so good to see you!” Marinette said, kissing him on the cheek. “And who is your beautiful date?”

Nathanael beamed and looked at the woman standing next to him. “This is my girlfriend Lila Rossi.”

“So who is the one who proposed to you?” Lila asked, looking between Kim and Max with narrowed eyes. Kim swallowed nervously.

“Th-that would be me.” Kim said, rubbing his neck bashfully.

Lila looked him up and down. Then she smiled. “I approve.”

Kim looked at her in confusion. “Um, what do you mean?”

Lila put a hand on Nathanael’s chest. “Nathanael and I were talking about possible candidates for our future threesome. When he mentioned that his ‘ex-fiancé’ was coming I had to see if he had any potential.” She explained, giving Kim a wink.

Kim began to cough uncomfortably, and when he glanced at Max he saw that his eyes had blown wide with shock.

Nathanael laughed nervously. “She’s kidding I promise. Lila has a sense of humor that takes some getting used to.”

“What can I say? My parent’s were con artists. I grew up learning how to deceive people – and pick pockets.” Lila said with a devilish grin. After a moment she  gave them a genuine smile and held up her hand like she was telling a secret. “That was a joke too, my parents are accountants.”

Marinette giggled. Kim squeezed Max’s hand, who still looked a little startled.

“So this is Kim and Marinette, the friends I was talking about. And this is Max, I deliver him pizza like once a week.” Nathanael said, introducing them all to Lila.

“Hey, maybe once every two weeks, tops.” Max said, standing up straighter.

Nathanael gave him an unimpressed look.

“It’s the tomato sauce…” Max mumbled, deflating a little. Then he looked at Lila and straightened up again. “Kim and I also work together. And he’s my boyfriend so I’d prefer it if you strike him off your ‘possible candidates’ list.”

Lila smiled warmly, clearly amused. “Already done.”

“So are you guys ready for a tour of the exhibit?” Nathanael asked.

“Yes, I’m really excited to see your work.” Marinette said, a certain shine in her eyes. Fashion shows and art exhibits weren’t all that different. Kim nodded his head in agreement.

Nathanael gave them a soft, slightly embarrassed smile. “Okay, follow me.”

Kim tried his best to appreciate the art around him, but if he was being honest he really didn’t understand it. There were random shapes and portraits of people he didn’t know or sculptures that looked cool but didn’t hold any obvious meaning. No matter how hard he tried nothing touched him in any way.

It made him feel dumb.

Then Kim heard Max make a small frustrated noise. “I just don’t get it. I want to get it, but all I’m seeing are colors and shapes.” Max said quietly, pouting once more as he looked around the exhibit. He looked defeated. “I feel like everyone else is in on this big secret and I’m being left out.” He confessed.

Kim stared at him for a moment. Max didn’t understand it either, and Max is a genius. He began to feel a little less stupid.

“Maybe everyone is just pretending.” Kim finally said. Max looked at him in curiosity. “I mean, maybe nobody knows what these paintings mean, but they think everyone else does so they’re making it up as they go along.” Kim thought for a moment. “Maybe that’s what art is all about.” He said, shrugging as they moved along. “Maybe that’s what life’s about.”

Kim could feel Max’s eyes on him. He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess that was kind a weird thing to say –”

“No.” Max interrupted, still looking at him with wide eyes. Kim could see the hint of a blush on his cheeks. “I think you may be on to something.”

“So, well, these are my pieces.” Nathanael said, stopping in front of two paintings. “The theme of the exhibit was ‘relationships’.” He explained. He gave them all a moment to look at his work.

The painting on the left looked like the night sky. There were blacks and dark blues and grays, but woven throughout the monochrome colors were tiny white stars. They almost looked like they were glowing. Then Kim noticed that towards the right side of the painting the stars seemed to collect to form a galaxy. It stopped abruptly at the edge, almost like it was reaching out for the painting on the right.

The painting on the right was covered in a soft blue. Wispy clouds were scattered throughout the canvas, and although the sun wasn’t there, you could see light peeking through the clouds, angled towards the left side of the canvas like it wanted to burst through and wash the left painting in sunlight.

It was – beautiful. Kim felt something, an ache, but a good ache. He didn’t know how to put it into words.

“It’s okay if you don’t really understand it.” Nathanael said, looking anywhere but at them. “It _is_ kind of confusing – I guess it doesn’t really make sense at all –”

“I understand it.” Lila said, a fire in her eyes. Then she looked at the others. “I must confess I have a bit of an advantage, since Nathanael showed me these paintings once he had finished them, but I’ve always thought that the difficult part about art is not finding the meaning, but the perspective. When you look at it from the right perspective, the meaning is simple.” Lila explained, turning to look at Nathanael. “People can be like night and day, at first they appear to be total opposites, like they can never exist in the same sky,” She began, shifting her focus on the paintings. “But night and day _are_ the same sky. The stars and clouds are different layers of the same universe. They both make the sky beautiful in their own way.”

“But they can never be together.” Marinette said, looking at the canvas sadly. “I mean, sunlight and starlight can’t exist at the same time. It’s like night and day are destined to dance around each other.” Kim looked at Marinette in concern. It seemed like she was thinking about someone in particular, someone she thought she couldn’t have.

“Yes, but the sun is a star, so technically all light is starlight.” Max pointed out, adjusting his glasses.

“Yes, exactly.” Lila said. “The light from the stars and the light from the sun are reaching out for each other, and it appears as though they will never touch, separated by the frames that they are contained in, but in reality, it’s the same kind of light.”

“We’re all made of star dust.” Max said, a little in awe.

“So, we all have the same kind of light.” Kim added, beginning to understand. Then he realized something. “And night and day may seem to dance around each other, but they touch at the ends and beginnings of every day, don’t they?” He said, thinking about the sun rises and sun sets that he loved to run towards.

“Yes they do.” Lila said, a small smile on her face. Then she looked at Nathanael once more. “Your work isn’t confusing at all. It connects people, and the tricky part is that sometimes people have a hard time realizing that they’re connected to something.”

At first Kim wasn’t sure how Lila and Nathanael’s relationship worked – they seemed too different. But now he understood. Nathanael saw how the world could be turned into art –

And Lila saw how art reflected the world.

Kim had a feeling he knew what relationship Nathanael was thinking about when he made these paintings.

Nathanael looked at them all in shock for a moment, the blush in his cheeks darkening. “I – I don’t know what to say.”

Lila wrapped an arm around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s okay to let your work do the talking, tomato.” She said fondly. Nathanael looked at her and smiled.

They were so in love.

 

 

“I think I have a new appreciation for art.” Kim said as he waved goodbye to Marinette, who they had just dropped off at the bakery. Her parents had given them each a bag of warm pastries – Madame Dupain-Cheng insisted that both he and Max were too skinny.

“Me too.” Max said, taking a bite out of what appeared to be a strawberry macaroon. He hummed in delight. “I love Marinette’s family.” He said, closing his eyes and sighing.

Kim smiled, he wanted Max to look that happy forever. “Me too.”

Then Max opened his eyes and looked at Kim. “When Lila was explaining those two paintings…” He began, a little uncertain.

“Yes?” Kim asked.

“Did you think about, well, us?”

“I did.” Kim answered immediately. Then he let out a short laugh and shook his head. “It kind of felt that those paintings were made for us, which sounds pretty ridiculous.”

“No, I – I thought the same thing.” Max said honestly, putting the rest of the macaroon back in the bag. “I didn’t know that art could do that.”

“Do what?”

“This probably doesn’t make sense,” Max said, fiddling with the ends of his coat sleeves. “But I always thought that art was meant to be a window, you know, to something else.”

Kim waited for Max to continue.

“But now I’m starting to think, that maybe - maybe they’re mirrors.” He finished, a furrow in his brow.

They walked in silence for a few moments. Kim noticed that the sun was about to set. He watched as pinks and oranges slowly spread across the sky. “Sometimes I think that people can be mirrors too.” He finally said.

“What do you mean?”

Kim stopped walking, and Max stopped as well, a confused look on his face. This wasn’t a busy street, so there weren’t many people around. “When I’m with you, Max, I see the person that I could be, the person that I _want_ to be.”

Max looked up at him with wide eyes, and then a laugh escaped his lips. “I didn’t know you could be so mushy.” He confessed, smiling behind his hand.

“Hey! I have my moments!” Kim argued, putting his hands on his hips. “I’ll have you know that I’m –” He was cut off by the feeling of Max’s lips on his, his fists balled up in his sweater. Kim closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, hearing Max’s soft hum. Then Max pulled away.

“You’re a mirror for me, too.” Max confessed, then he continued to walked down the street. Kim shook his head and laughed, moving to fall back in step with him.

“So I personally think that I’m the night sky in this relationship.” Kim said, putting his hands behind his head and he watched the sun go down. “Mysterious, a little edgy –”

Max laughed and adjusted his glasses. “Please, you’re definitely the day. You’re all sunshine and fluff.”

“I am not all fluff.” Kim protested, crossing his arms. “Feel how hard my arms are.”

“Oh I know how hard your arms are.” Max said, and Kim could tell he was trying not to blush. “But you’re still a softie on the inside.”

Kim smiled and put his arm around Max. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I usually am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! <3


	13. By the Janitor's Bucket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the updated tags because this chapter is a heavy one. Sending a lot of love <3

18,026 seats. And tonight every seat was going to be filled - each seat meant for one living, breathing individual, coming from work or home or the _moon_ to see the opening match of the season.

65 lights staring down at the ring - 15 blue, 15 red, 15 green, and the rest white. Colors that would swirl and dance and bring magic to the epicenter of the action.

98 decibels. That’s how loud the music Nino had picked out would be, pouring out of the speakers with its buzzing adrenaline, drum beats pounding with the hearts of its listeners.

Two matches, 30 minutes each with a 20 minute intermission. Four fighters aching to prove themselves.

Numbers and colors shifted together in front of Max’s eyes as he sat in his chair in The Booth, wondering how this quiet and darkened arena could possibly transform into all of that in less than three hours.

Max wasn’t sure if he was ready.

His mom used to always tell him that good stress was just as dangerous as bad stress. It could be just as overwhelming, just as knotted and suffocating.

And both good and bad stress at once? Well, that was a ticking time bomb.

Max took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, feeling the smooth surface of the black leather. He looked at the white ceiling, and then the red walls that surrounded him.

Red. Max fiddled with the emerald bow tie that he had decided to wear with his dark gray suit.

Green and Red. Total opposites on the color wheel. As if he didn’t already feel like he stood out in the worst possible way. Max sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

‘Come on, Max. You always do this.’ He thought to himself, feeling that all too common buzz of nervousness.

“Man, I’m so excited!” Kim said, bursting into the room and bouncing on the balls of his feet as he looked down at Max. Then he ran a hand through his hair and spread his arms wide, “Well, how do I look?”

Something fluttered in Max’s chest that was completely unrelated to the stress of the upcoming matches. Kim was wearing a black button up and a maroon suit. He even had a black handkerchief in his breast pocket to match.

He was stunning, he really was.

Max allowed himself a moment to drink it all in, and then he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and turned his chair towards the large window that looked down at the arena. “You look nice.” He said casually.

He could hear Kim walking up behind his chair, and then Max felt Kim’s chin rest on his head. “Come on, that’s all you’re going to say?” He whined. Max could picture the pout that was most definitely on his face.

Max smiled. Then he composed his features and moved to look up at Kim. “I’ll tell you exactly what I’m thinking after work. In detail.”

Max watched as Kim’s eye widened, a deep blush spreading across his face.

“Oh look,” Max said with a chuckle, putting a hand on Kim’s cheek. “You’re almost as red as your suit.”

Kim opened his mouth in shock, and then he smiled. “You know, this is not the same Max Kanté that I met in the elevator.”

“What can I say? I’m as mysterious as the night sky.” Max replied, shifting back to look at the arena.

“I thought we agreed that _I_ was the night sky.” Kim argued, knowing that Max was referencing their time in the exhibit two weeks ago.

“Actually, I remember us agreeing that you are the fluffiest human being alive.” Max replied, biting back his smile.

Kim laughed and wrapped his arms around Max from behind, peppering him with kisses.

Max giggled and tried to push him away, but if he was being honest he wasn’t trying _that_ hard. “Come on, Kim, I thought that we agreed we’d be professional in The Booth.”

Kim sighed and pulled himself away, moving to sit in his chair next to Max. “Okay, that _was_ an agreement that we actually made.” He confessed, crossing his arms and looking down at the arena. They watched as colors flew across the ring.

‘Looks like they’re checking the lights. We’re right on schedule.’ Max thought, digging his fists into his thighs. He suddenly felt like he couldn’t move.

“This is kind of unbelievable, isn’t it?” Kim said. Max glanced at him and saw how the lights reflected off of his gray eyes, how his lips parted in awe. “I mean, I dreamed about this for so long, I’ve _wanted_ this for so long, and tonight it’s finally happening.” He continued, his voice quiet.

“Yeah, it’s - it’s a lot to take in.” Max admitted.

Kim shook his head, “This isn’t just a lot, this is - this is _everything_.”

Kim had no idea. Kim had no idea that his words were digging Max deeper into his familiar dark hole. A hole where there was no air, no light, no warmth -

Just him and the too-loud beating of his heart.

 

 

The pre-game commentary would start in ten minutes.

Ten minutes. Six-hundred seconds. 18,026 seats. About a stairway and eight-and-a-half feet to the closest exit. To the fresh air, to the sunset.

‘You always do this.’ Max told himself not for the first time that afternoon. He just had to keep it together for a few more hours - a half-an-hour of pre-game predictions and input, two matches, and then he and Kim would go back to Max’s apartment to celebrate.

That’s when he was allowed to breathe.

Max stopped pacing down the hallway right outside of The Booth and leaned on the wall, closing his eyes. Kim was right, he wasn’t the same person he was before the elevator. He was more confident, he was better at communicating his feelings, he worried about things less.

But that didn’t mean this monster inside of him would go away that easily. This dark, heavy feeling that pressed against his insides at the worst times. No, he was beginning to think that he would always have this broken part.

It was almost ironic - he could fix almost anything that was broken - computers, cameras, his old toys - and yet he couldn’t fix the broken parts in himself.

“Max, you ready?” Adela asked. Max opened his eyes and met her gaze. She moved from the doorway of The Booth to stand in front of him, a slight frown tugging at her lips. “Are you okay?”

Max smiled and nodded his head.

Adela didn’t look convinced. “Does Kim know that you’re -”

“I’m fine, Adela, I promise.” Max interrupted, taking a deep breath and giving her a more sincere smile. “I’m just a little nervous, is all. But I looked up some breathing techniques online and I even found this new kind of meditation that -”

Adela smiled and Max cut himself off, realizing that he was rambling. “Just don’t stress out too much, okay? I know you’re going to do a great job, and if it gets a little too overwhelming I doubt that Kim would mind taking the spotlight for a while.”

Max smirked at that. “I don’t supposed he would.” He admitted. Adela’s words put him a little more at ease. So much so that he was beginning to think that he could actually pull this off. “Let’s do this.” He said, nodding his head with determination and heading for The Booth. Adela followed in after him.

 

 

“So tonight we have four fighters,” Kim explained, adjusting the microphone on the table in front of him. “Ivan Bruel, who was given the nickname ‘Stone Heart’ two seasons ago, is our only veteran who will be in the ring tonight, the rest are three young fighters ready to show this audience that they will be this season’s champion.” He turned in his seat to face Max. “What do you think the outcome of tonight will be?”

Max adjusted his glasses nervously and looked at Kim, who was giving him an encouraging smile. Then he took a breath. He just had to stick to the facts. When all else failed, he could always count on the facts.

“The first match will definitely be an interesting one.” Max began. “Both fighters are new to the stage, so there isn’t much we can predict. Personally I would keep an eye on Mylene Haprele. At 5’2” she may not be high in stature, but in 62% of fights it is actually the shorter opponent who wins. Most people say that it has to do with their center of gravity, but I believe a major factor is that they are underestimated.”

Kim smirked. “Speaking from experience?” He teased.

“I may have...collected my own data.” Max said, suppressing a smile.

“And what about the second match? Do you think the newbie has a chance against Stone Heart?” Kim asked.

Max took a moment to think. “If Stone Heart is able to use his signature move, then I would say that his opponent has only a 15% chance of winning, but it all depends on the agility of the opponent. Stone Heart is big, but he isn’t very fast - it’s all about knowing your opponent’s weakness and being able to use that to your advantage.”

“Well said, Max.”

Max puffed out his cheeks and smiled, pulling away from the microphone once Adela gave them the signal that it was Alya’s turn on the ground.

“That was great!” Kim exclaimed, doing a quick spin in his chair.

Adela gave him a dissaproving look from the back of the room - she told them before that they weren’t supposed to spin in the chairs - but an intern got her attention before she could scold him.

Max looked down at the arena. He spotted Nino, and watched as he lifted himself up onto the ring, ducking under the ropes and moving to stand in the center, a wide smile on his face. Max didn’t understand how Nino could look so relaxed in front of all those people. Once the spotlight was on him it was like he was the sun, and the audience was simply the rest of the galaxy shifting around him in anticipation.

Max was glad that he got to watch all this from The Booth. It made him feel like he had a little bit of armor.

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Nino began, his voice booming from the microphone by his ear. “Welcome to the first match of this year’s season. I’ll be your announcer - ” then Nino paused, seeming to realize something. “I’ll also be your referee, and your DJ, too, when you think about it,” He furrowed his brow in thought, a slight pout on his face. “I’m realizing now that I should definitely ask for a raise…”

The crowd laughed and Nino beamed at them, relaxing his shoulders and nodding his head. He was a natural. Max couldn’t help but be a little jealous. Everyone seemed to be so effortlessly good at this whole thing. Why was he the only one who was terrified?

“I’ll have to take it up with my boss later,” Nino said, looking up at The Booth and giving a wink. Max could hear Adela scoff.

“I pay that boy too much and he knows it.” Adela said, and Max glanced behind him and saw her shaking her head, a small smile forming on her lips.

“Because right now it’s time to introduce our fighters!” Nino finished, and the crowd roared. It felt like the whole arena was shaking.

The colored lights flew across the audience and would pass by The Booth every couple of seconds. Bright spots of colors would flash across Max’s eyes, leaving him a little disoriented. Then he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.

“This is it.” Kim said excitedly, his eyes glued to the arena.

Max swallowed and tried to smile, but he could only feel the rope in his chest that was twisting and coiling tighter and tighter around his lungs, making it hard to breathe.

He just had to get through his match, then he would have a break, where he would mentally prepare himself for the next one. Easy. He just had to swallow everything down until he was alone.

But he already felt like he was about to choke.

 

 

Things were going fine until they weren’t.

He managed to make it through the first match without too much difficulty. He was even able to make some good comments, or at least based on Kim’s expression Max assumed that they were good. And all of his predictions as to what moves the fighters would make turned out to be right, which made him feel a little more comfortable.

He was beginning to feel like he could actually do this. Maybe he was even _good_ at it.

And then in the middle of the second match it hit him. The colors were too bright and the people were too loud and he was too high up and the blinking lights of the cameras were unnerving and Kim was just too excited -

It felt like the world was collapsing on top of him.

“Wow! An amazing dodge by our newbie!” Kim exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat. He turned to look at Max expectantly, waiting for him to say something.

Max opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“Come on, Max! Give us another one of your amazing predictions!” Kim urged, still looking at him. Then he leaned more into the mic, addressing the audience. “Max here is a genius at figuring out just what our fighters will do next. He’s pretty much an all-around genius, actually.”

Max smiled sheepishly, his breathing shallow. “I-I wouldn’t go that far.”

He could do this. He was so _close_. He just had to swallow it down. His eyes darted around the room, and everything felt slightly off, like the walls were beginning to swirl around him. Like they were suddenly inside of a lava lamp.

His eyes drifted to the arena and he watched as Stone Heart yelled and threw a punch at his ooponent that missed. He looked as desperate as Max felt. He probably wasn’t expecting the challenge. “There is a 88% chance that Stone Heart will, uh, will use his signature move, but the rookie will dodge it and-and go for the sweep.” Max said as evenly as he could, but he could tell that he sounded winded. He noticed that Adela was looking at him in concern.

Max leaned away from the mic, looking down at his hands that were resting on the table. They were shaking. His breathing got faster, each breath more and more shallow until it felt like a fist was closing around his throat.

He couldn’t breathe.

_He couldn’t breathe._

Kim got out of his chair. “Amazing! You were right again, Max!” He said, looking down at the fight. He was beaming.

Max got out of his chair and stumbled a little, his eyes wide and yet it felt like he couldn’t process what he was seeing. He headed for the door, and vaguely sensed Adela near him, asking him something he couldn’t understand. He wondered if he imagined the gentle hand on his arm. Then he opened the door and ran.

 

 

He managed to find a side hallway that he didn’t know existed, and he had studied the blueprints of the Charles Arena pretty extensively that night that he got the job.

He pressed his palms against the wall and hung his head, his chest heaving and his eyes squeezed shut. He could feel the pounding of his heart in his shoes, in his throat, in his fingertips.

_You’re going to die. You’re going to die right here by this janitor’s bucket and no one is going to find you because no one’s been in this hallways for thirty years. You don’t even know where you are. How are you going to find your way out?_

Max tried to take a deep breath but shuddered instead, his shoulders shaking as he leaned against the wall for support. His foundation was logic and facts and reasoning, but when he got like this all of that came down like a house of cards in a stiff breeze. He knew that everything he was thinking was crazy, but every time he tried to contradict it he couldn’t seem to think clearly. More dark thoughts would just wrap around him.

_You left Kim alone. Now he has to finish the match without you. He trusted you. He thought you were worth something. Now he’s going to realize that you aren’t. He’s going to forget about you and move on. You’ll have to watch as he keeps running and you’re left behind. Alone. Worthless._

Max shook his head but it didn’t help. Nothing was going to help. He felt like his legs were going to give out, so he leaned his back against the wall and slid down to sit, his head between his knees. He tried to remember the breathing exercises that he had read about, but he couldn’t seem to remember what to do. Everything was slipping away. He was slipping away.

“Help me.” Max choked out, and he could feel a sting behind his eyes as his chest heaved in and out.

He wondered if this was what it felt like to die.

“Please help me.” He wheezed. Why did he leave The Booth? Why did he go somewhere where no one would find him? He was so _stupid_. Max kicked the bucket with his leg and balled his hands into fists, digging them into his knees.

He deserved this. Why did he ever think that he could be happy and get away with it? It didn’t work like that. Nothing about him _ever_ worked the way it was supposed to.

Then he heard the squeak of shoes from the other end of the hall. “Max? Thank god!” A voice said, relieved. Max didn’t bother to pick his head up as he heard someone run over to him. He felt someone pressed against his side, and a hand on his knee.

“Are you okay?” Max realized that it was Kim’s voice, but he had never heard him sound so panicked before. “I mean, of course you’re not obviously, I just, you freaked out - I mean, you didn’t freak out but you ran out in the middle of the - well that doesn’t matter don’t worry about that Adela has got that covered I don’t think anyone really even noticed -” Kim paused and let out a frustrated noise. “What am I even _saying_ right now?”

Max lifted his head and saw that Kim was looking at the wall across from them, his eyes wide and lost.

‘You sound like I do when I get nervous.’ Max thought a little fondly, but he couldn’t seem to find the breath to say it.

Kim caught Max looking at him. “I’m-I’m here for you, okay? Adela told me that you might be having - just know that I’m here for you. I’m not going to leave your side.”

Max continued to look at him in confusion, still gasping for air. “You’ll have - to leave my side - at some point.” He reasoned.

Kim gave him a small smile, wrapping an arm around Max’s shoulders. “Nope, never. You’re stuck with me.”

Max crinkled his nose, feeling the rope tied around his lungs loosen a little. “What about when - I need to use - the bathroom?” Max paused to take a breath, realizing that he was starting to have more control. “That’s just gross.”

Kim laughed. Then his expression became serious. “I’m sorry I didn’t know how anxious you were. I should’ve known. I got so excited that I didn’t even notice that you needed help. I was so _stupid_ -”

Max put a shaky hand on his cheek. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve asked for help.”

Kim reached up to take Max’s hand in his own. “You look a little better now.”

Max managed to take a deep breath. It was a little uneven, but he knew that the worst was behind him. “I’ll be okay. I’m just really tired now.”

“Adela told me that I should take you home.” Kim said. “The match is almost over anyway, and Alya is a good backup commentator, even though she could never be good as us.” He said with a cocky smile.

“But we were going to celebrate.” Max protested.

“We can celebrate another night.” Kim assured him. “And don’t think I forgot that you were going to tell me how great I look in this suit. That’s definitely still happening at some point.”

Max smiled. “Thanks, Kim. I’m sorry -”

Kim held up a hand to stop him. “This is a team effort. We’ve both got to work at some things.”

Max smirked. “Are you talking about our work relationship? Or our romantic relationship?”

“A little bit of both.” Kim said with a wink. Then he lifted Max to his feet and into his arms, holding him bridal-style.

“I am fully capable of walking.” Max said, even after he instinctively wrapped his arms around Kim’s neck.

Kim smiled and pressed a kiss on Max’s forehead. “I know, but I want to feel like I’m doing something to help, if that’s okay.” Then he paused, a slight blush on his cheeks. “It also reminds me of our first date.”

Max looked up at him, a litle confused. “When we went for a jog?”

“When we escaped the robots!” Kim exclaimed. “What’s more romantic than running from a mechanical tyranny?”

Max laughed weakly, his chest still a little tight. “You make a good point.”

Kim nodded his head and walked down the hall, finding a nearby exit that led them outside. “How did you even find that hallway? I had to go through a maze of old training rooms and electrical closets to find you.”

Max shrugged, his exhaustion hitting him hard. “There wasn’t much thinking involved.”

“That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I know.” Max said, some of that nervousness still lingering in his chest. The worst thing about panic attacks was that they always reminded him of how easy it was for them to happen. It was like he was living his life on the edge of the next one, never knowing when it would happen again.

“Hey,” Kim said, squeezing him a little. “I got you.”

Max looked up at him and saw Kim’s gaze, and he believed him. “I know.” He said after a moment, closing his eyes.

Max didn’t remember falling asleep in Kim’s arms, but when he opened his eyes he was in his own bed, wrapped up in his comfiest blankets. His glasses were resting on the nightstand next to him, and his suit was hanging on his closet door.

When he moved to lay on his other side he saw Kim sleeping beside him, and noticed that an arm was around his waist. Max watched as he breathed softly, his chest slowly moving in and out. Max moved to run a hand through Kim’s hair, which was curled a little at the ends. He supressed his laugh as Kim moved into his touch. Then he closed his eyes and shifted so that his forehead was touching Kim’s.

He matched Kim’s slow breathing, and soon he fell back to sleep.

7 billion people on this pale blue dot in an ever expanding galaxy, and Max had managed to find Kim. Maybe the universe wasn’t against him.

Maybe everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I enjoyed writing it! Also forehead kisses >>>>>


	14. On Wheels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got some really lovely comments on this recently and I totally did not plan on writing this chapter today but they got me inspired and I'm happy with how it turned out :)
> 
> Also at first Rémy's name was Max and when I read it over I was like, "Girl, one of your main characters is Max what are you doing?" So I'm glad that I caught that before posting lol otherwise this would've been very confusing. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter and are having a lovely day! It's raining where I am and I am thriving I love the rain <3

Kim knew that he’d probably regret texting Alix and asking if they could hang out, but he desperately needed some advice.

He walked down the street in the direction that the GPS on his phone was telling him to go, looking at it with a furrowed brow. He didn’t recognize the address that Alix had sent him, but he had assumed that it was some sort of café.

He didn’t see any cafés on this street though.

‘ _You have arrived_.’ his app told him, and Kim looked up from his phone and saw the sign on the building in front of him.

“Oh no.” he said under his breath, dropping his phone to his side as he looked at the sign with a pained expression. Then he felt something poke his side and jumped.

“Great, you made it.” Alix said, chewing on a piece of gum as she grinned. Then she walked towards the door.

“You’re serious?” Kim asked her. “This isn’t a joke?” Alix turned around, her hand on the door knob.

“It’ll be fun.” she said. “And you’re paying.” she added, opening the door.

Kim sighed and followed her inside.

“Two pairs please.” Alix said to the guy at the front counter. She had to lift herself on her toes a little in order to look over it, putting her elbows on the shiny blue wood. Kim looked around and saw all of the colorful lights, the cheap food, a few old arcade games.

And the huge roller rink in the center of it all.

“What’s your shoe size?” Alix asked him, and he turned to face her.

“Uh, eleven.” he said, looking at the employee behind the counter. It was a young kid, probably in his mid-teens. He nodded his head and walked over to the rows of roller skates, picking out two pairs, once much smaller than the other, and putting them on the counter. He didn’t seem surprised by the fact that two adults had come here without any kids.

“Thanks, Rémy. How’s that paper going?” Alix asked, grabbing the smaller pair and handing the other to Kim. So that’s why this kid wasn’t surprised - Alix was a regular.

Rémy shrugged. “Honestly I don’t even know what the topic is.”

“When’s it due?” Alix asked.

Rémy smiled. “Tomorrow.”

Alix grinned and reached over to punch him on the shoulder. “Nice.” then Rémy looked at Kim.

“That’ll be €25.” he said. “Alix gets a discount for being our most valued customer.”

“You flatter me, Rém. I know that it’s because I buy so much food.”

Instead of answering Rémy put in his earbuds and walked back to the shoes, grinning at Alix before he disappeared behind one of the rows.

“Hey good luck on that paper!” she called, and Kim watched as Rémy waved his arm in thanks. Then Alix pushed away from the counter. “Onward, Sparky!” she said, handing his skates over to him and leading them towards the benches by the rink. She sat down and began to put on her skates. “Have you ever roller skated before?” she asked.

Kim sat down and began to put on his skates as well. “I think once when I was little, but this should be easy enough.”

Alix scoffed. “We’ll see about that.”

“Athleticism like mine doesn’t come through experience, it’s just natural.” Kim declared, tightening his laces and straigtening up in his seat. “Don’t worry about me.” he flashed her a confident smile.

Alix got up and opened the small door to the rink. “Trust me, I’m not.” then she glided onto the shiny wooden floor and raced around the curve. After a moment she turned and began to skate backwards, looking at Kim with a smug smile. “Coming?” she called from the other side.

Kim stood up and immeadiately began to wobble. He reached for the edge of the rink for support, and then tried to look casual about it as Alix watched him with a raised brow, biting back her smile. He tried to take a step forward and almost lost his balance. Then he furrowed his brow in concentration and managed to get himself to the little door. He opened it slowly and looked at the rink before him.

“Having some trouble?” Alix asked as she skated towards him, weaving through the other skaters. The kids pointed at her and tugged on their parent’s sleeves, looking amazed as she did a quick spin.

“Of course not.” Kim said, taking his hands off of the ledge and looking at the rink once more. This couldn’t be too hard, right? All he knew was that falling down was not an option. If he fell down Alix would never let him hear the end of it.

“Kim? What are you doing here?” a voice said behind him. He turned around as best he could and saw Rose looking at him with her wide blue eyes, holding hands with a small child with equally wide and blue eyes. Both of them were wearing skates.

“Oh hey, Kim, how’s it going?” Juleka said, walking up to join them. She was holding hands with another small child who looked exactly like the other one, except she was wearing braids.

“Hey Uncle Kim!” the twins said, moving to give Kim a hug. He wobbled in place and held onto the ledge once more.

“Hey little monsters!” he said, ruffling Louis’ blond hair. “What have you two been up to?”

“I learned how to give someone an upper cut!” Louis declared, making a punching motion towards his twin.

“And I can kick really hard!” Lynette said, lifting up her foot.

“Don’t kick Kim!” Rose said, a little panicked as she put a hand on each of their shoulders. Then she looked up at Kim and smiled. “She really can kick hard.”

Kim smiled down at them and bent over as much as he could without losing his balance. “Maybe one day I’ll be commentating on one of your matches?” their eyes lit up with excitement. Rose didn’t look as thrilled. Then Kim noticed that Alix was back again, doing another spin as she watched Kim and these children with interest. “Someone is waiting for me,” Kim said, looking warily back at the rink. Then he had an idea. “Would you two want to walk out onto the rink with me?” he asked.

“Yeah!” they both yelled, each one grabbing one of his hands as they pulled him onto the wooden floor. He almost lost his balance, but they managed to keep him upright. He glanced behind him and saw Juleka and Rose skate onto the rink as well, holding hands and watching their children with warm smiles. Kim couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Looks like you got some help.” Alix said, skating up to them and coming to a stop. “And who might you two be?”

“I’m Lynette and this is Louis!”

“Hey, why did you get to tell her my name?” Louis asked.

“Because I’m older.” Lynette declared.

“By two minutes!” Louis said, crossing his arms.

“Wait, you must be Rose’s kids.” Alix realized, her eyes lighting up. She looked up and saw Rose a little behind them. “So these are the twins I’ve seen so many pictures of!”

Rose smiled and blushed a little. “Yes they are.”

Alix grinned and leaned down to be at their eye-level, and Kim smiled in amusement when he realized that she didn’t have to lean down all that much. “Want to see something funny?”

The twins nodded their heads in excitement.

“When I count to three I want you to let go of his hands.” Alix said, nodding her head in Kim’s direction and backing up a little. A feeling of dread washed over Kim.

“Alix,” Kim warned, his expression growing serious.

“One.” Alix said, looking at the twins.

“Alix what are you going to -”

“Two.” Alix said, bending her knees a little as she faced Kim.

“No! Alix I swear to god if you -”

“Two and a half.” Alix said, and the twins giggled.

“Alix!” Kim yelled, his voice sounding a little higher. Then he looked at the twins, trying to put on his most intimidating expression. “I wouldn’t if I were -”

“Three!” Alix yelled, and the twins let go and quickly skated out of the way. Kim watched as Alix rushed towards him.

“No no no no no don’t  -” Kim yelled, trying to move backwards but only managing to wobble in place. He held his hands out in front of him for protection and Alix grabbed them. The next thing he knew he was spinning. He could hear the twins’ uncontrollable laughter.

“And release!” Alix yelled, and Kim flew across the rink, parents and children hurrying to get out of the way.

“Alix!” Kim yelled as he headed for the wooden barrier. “I’m going to tell Max on you!” he closed his eyes and braced for impact, but then he was suddenly stopped short. He opened one eye and saw Alix innocently looking up at him, one hand grabbing his shirt.

“Tell him what?” she asked, blinking up at him.

Kim glared at her. “You are an ulcer-inducing person.” 

Alix laughed and pushed him a little away from her. “You’re starting to sound like Max.” she turned and faced the twins, who were on the opposite side of the rink. “Thanks for the help!” she called, waving her arm. The twins waved back. Then Juleka took each other their hands and began to spin them around, Rose smiling as she watched them erupt into another fit of giggles.

“So you said that you needed advice?” Alix asked, skating around Kim in lazy circles. Kim sighed and rolled towards the edge, keeping a hand on the ledge as he skated slowly around the rink, Alix never straying too far.

“He had a panic attack during the second match.” Kim said.

“I know. He told me.” Alix said, her expression becoming serious. She moved to skate next to him. “I was worried that that might happen.”

“Does he get them often?”

Alix shrugged. “Not really. He used to get them a lot when we were kids, but he takes medication now and that helps. He only gets them when he’s really worried about something.”

“What can I do to help?” Kim asked, his knuckles white as he held the ledge tightly. “When he ran out of The Booth I had no idea what to do. I felt so useless.”

“It’s hard.” Alix admitted. “For a long time I didn’t know what to do either. And he would never tell me when he needed help.” she added, sounding a little frustrated. “He likes to think that he can do things on his own sometimes. He doesn’t like to be a burden.”

“But he’s _not_ a burden!” Kim said, letting go of the ledge. “He doesn’t have to go through it alone!”

Alix looked at him and smiled, skating a little in front of him. “I don’t think you need my advice.”

Kim looked at her in confusion. “Why not?”

Alix turned around and began to skate backwards, looking at him. “You already know what he needs. He needs to know that he’s not alone, that he can depend on people.”

Kim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m afraid that I’m going to mess something up, that I’ll say the wrong thing and make things worse.”

Alix gave him a dry smile. “That’s how Max feels all the time, that he’ll say or do something wrong. He just needs someone to let him know that those thoughts in his head aren’t true.”

“That’s all?”

Alix sighed. “There’s only so much that we can do. Most of it is something that he needs to learn how to handle, and he always manages to find a way. He’s tough.” she paused for a moment. “It can just suck sometimes, when you can’t do anything more.” she added, her voice quiet.

Kim nodded his head. “You’re right. He _is_ tough.” he repeated. Then he hesitated for a moment, a little unsure of what he was about to say, or most accurately how it would be received. “I have a question to ask you, and if it’s too personal feel free to throw me to the other side of the rink."

He could sense Alix tense as she moved to skate next to him. “Continue.”

Kim took a deep breath. “What happened with you and Chloe?” Alix stopped skating and Kim stiffened, ready to be pushed.

“We stopped being friends.” Alix said simply, continuing to skate once more. Kim felt a weight off his chest and continued to skate as well.

“But why?”

“Because she’s a villian in disguise.” Alix explained. Kim didn’t know how to respond. Then Alix groaned and titled her head back, looking at the multicolored lights on the ceiling. “Because she was always spending time with her girlfriend.” Alix was silent for a moment as she continued to skate, and then she moved to grab the ledge, hanging her head down. Kim stopped beside her, giving her some space. “I don’t like - I don’t _do_ relationships. Not like that. I’m just - I’m just not _built_ like that. But it feels like everyone else _is_ . And it becomes the most important thing.” she said, clutching the ledge tighter. “Her girlfriend became more important than me. She began to spend more time with her than me. She would bail on the plans she made with me, and part of me understood it, I guess. I know that for some people it’s this amazing experience, and everything else can get pushed into the background. But I was left behind because of it. So how could I not _hate_ it?” Alix stopped talking, and Kim put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“So that’s why you fought?”

Alix scoffed and straightened up. “It was a stupid fight about nothing, but I was so angry that I said some things I shouldn’t have.” she laughed, but there was no joy in it. “When I think about it I can’t even remember what I said, all I remember was that I couldn’t handle being hurt anymore, so we stopped being friends.” she sighed, taking her hands off of the ledge. “Why does romance have to be this incredible finish line? Why can’t friendship be enough for people? Why is my friendship not enough?” she asked, and she turned her face away from him.

“You know that you mean the _world_ to Max, right?” Kim said. “He talks about you all the time. You were even with us on our first unoffical date, at the café.” Alix laughed softly to herself, wiping something away from her face. “You - you aren’t worried about Max right? About us dating now?”

Alix turned back to face him. “No, I’m not.” she said honestly. “Max isn’t like other people. I know he understands how I feel, and he’s been really good about this.” then she crossed her arms. “I hate to say it, but your relationship actually made me understand a few things.”

Kim furrowed his brow. “Like what?”

Alix smiled dryly. “I understand why it’s so important to people, even if it will never be important to me.” she explained. “It’s more than all that gooey romance and making out on couches and stuff. It’s about making each other better, about helping each other become who you want to be. I was too focused on how Chloe’s relationship affected me, that I didn’t notice how it was affecting her. She was happier, she was more patient, she smiled wider. I can’t hate that, I guess, as much as I want to.” she shrugged.

“Why don’t you tell her that?”

Alix scoffed and crossed her arms. “I think it’s too late for that.”

“If I’ve learned anything it’s that I can’t tell you what to do,” Kim said, “but I really don’t think it’s too late. You should consider it.”

Alix nodded her head, and after a moment she smiled. “I thought I was supposed to be giving _you_ the advice. I didn’t think that I was going to have a counseling session when I came here.”

“And I didn’t expect to be roller skating.” Kim admitted. “And yet here we are.”

Alix laughed and punched him lightly on the arm. “At least you’re starting to get the hang of it, you haven’t needed to hold onto the ledge for a while.”

Kim looked and saw that he was skating on his own, and he smiled. “I told you, it’s my natural athleticism.”

Alix rolled her eyes and began to skate away. “Last one around the rink has to pay for food!” she called over her shoulder, picking up speed.

“Hey no fair! You got a head start!” Kim yelled, trying to skate after her, but he wasn’t making very much progress. He noticed the twins laughing at him as he passed.

“Who needs a head start when you have natural altheticism?” Alix asked, coming up behind him and giving him a push. He rolled into the middle of the rink. Just as he was able to stop himself the twins came up behind him.

“Twin attack!”

“Special move!’

The twins tackled Kim to the ground and he fell over. He laughed as they climbed on top of him.

“Victory!” Lynette yelled.

Alix skated up to him and smiled, reaching out her hand. “Looks like you owe me food.”

Kim smiled back and took her hand. In that moment he realized that he’d been wobbling around on roller skates ever since he met Max Kanté, ever since he was introduced to his world. He didn’t always know what to do, and maybe he would fall down a few times -

But it never stopped being fun.


	15. In the Locker Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. And the next chapter is going to be the fluffiest thing ever so prepare yourself.

18,026 seats.

65 lights.

98 decibels.

Max took a deep breath and tried not to think about it too much as he stood in the middle of the ring, closing his eyes. He’d decided to come even earlier today - he thought that maybe if he gave himself more time to get settled before the match then he wouldn’t freak out like he did last time.

He really made a mess of things.

He was surprised that Adela let him keep his job.

He was surprised that he wasn’t banned from the arena for life. 

He was surprised that Kim still wanted to date him.

Why would anyone want him?

Why would anyone ever trust him again?

Why was he even -

Suddenly music began to blare from the speakers, and it was quickly turned down.

“Sorry about that,” Nino said from the soundboard near the ring. It was sectioned off by a black gate that reached to about Max’s chest, probably to keep fans out. “what do you think of this track?”

Max, who’s eyes were now open, furrowed his brow as he listened to the beat.

“It’s okay if you don’t like it,” Nino said, “I’m not that sure about it either. I want Ladybug and Chat Noir’s entrance songs to be _epic_.”

Max moved to lean against the ropes, looking down at Nino. “What else do you have?”

Nino smiled and played with some buttons on his sound board. Then he picked up his phone and scrolled through it. A new song began to play, this one a bit faster and upbeat.

“I like this, it’s a lot punchier,” Max commented. Then he smiled and rubbed the back of his head. “No pun intended.”

Nino laughed and bobbed his head to the beat. “I was thinking that this would be Chat Noir’s. I’ve only met the guy once, but I feel like it suits him.”

“Definitely,” Max agreed. He watched as Nino began to scroll through his phone once more and another song began to play. This one wasn’t as fast, but the notes seemed to hit heavier and the beat was strong and steady.

“Ladybug’s entrance music?” Max asked.

Nino gave him a thumbs up. “You like it?”

Max smiled, realizing that he was bobbing his head to the beat a little. “It’s incredible. Is this your music?”

Nino ducked his head a bit, the brim of his hat covering his eyes. “Yeah, I like to mess around with some stuff in my free time. It’s not a career, but I hope that one day, maybe -” he began to fiddle with his sound board once more.

“So refereeing isn’t your dream job?” Max asked, a slight smirk on his face. Nino picked up his head and crossed his arms, giving Max a grin.

“I know it’s a shock,” Nino said sarcasically. Then he shrugged. “I guess standing in the middle of the action has never really been my thing. I don’t want to be at the center of the magic, I want to make the magic, you know?”

Max leaned his chin on his arms, which were resting on the topmost rope. “I completely understand.” Then he looked away, remembering that it was only a few hours until Ladybug and Chat Noir’s first match. This was a big deal. As he was walking to the arena it felt like everyone in Paris was talking about it. They were all going to be listening, listening to him, listening to him mess up -

“Hey,” Nino said, and Max looked back at him in surprise. He watched as Nino tapped on his phone and a new song came on. This one was loud and had a lot of bass. Then Nino opened the gate and moved to sit on the edge of the ring, ducking under the ropes until he was inside. “Come on,” he said, moving to lie in the middle of the ring and patting the space next to him. Max looked at him skeptically, but then he moved to join him.

“Whenever I’m, you know, in the bad place,” Nino began, looking up at the ceiling. The lights were dimmed. Max thought that they almost looked like stars. “I always listen to music with a lot of bass.” Nino shifted a little, putting his hands on his chest. “When I was younger I would turn on the amp in my room, lie on the floor, and focus on the way the beat felt in my chest, in my fingertips.” He smiled. “And then, after a while, I would feel a lot better. It would always remind me of where I was. It kept me grounded.”

Max closed his eyes and listened to the music. Nino was right, he could feel the beat in his chest. He could feel the way the surface under him moved. He could feel the slight buzzing in his fingertips. Everything else, all of the bad things, seemed to wash away.

It was all drowned out by the beat.

Then Max took a slow, deep breath and opened his eyes. He turned to glance at Nino and saw that he was still looking at the ceiling, a small smile on his face. The lights were reflected in his glasses. “So you, you know -”

“Have anxiety too?” Nino finished for him. “Yeah, I was diagnosed when I was twelve.”

“But you seem so laid back,” Max said.

“I am laid back, most of the time,” Nino replied, sitting up. “I take my meds, I see someone once or twice a month, and I’ve picked up some good techniques to use whenever I’m having a bad day.” He turned to look at Max. “You know, if you ever want some advice, or just need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.”

Max sat up as well and fiddled with his hands, smiling at his lap. “Thanks Nino, really, I appreciate it.”

“Anytime, dude. We behind-the-scenes types have to stick together.” He held out his fist, and Max tapped it with his own.

“Max!” A surprised voice called from somewhere in the stands. “You’re here early!”

Nino stood up and walked to the ropes, moving under them and dropping to the floor.

“He’s been helping me out with the playlist. I had to get a second opinion.”

“Then Max is your go-to guy,” Kim said, giving Nino a fist bump. Max stood up and walked to the edge of the ring.

“But I barely know anything about music; I’m not sure if I’m that reliable.”

Kim adjusted whatever he was carrying on his shoulder and looked up at Max. “Maybe, but you always give good opinions. If I ever needed advice, you’re the first person I’d go to, that’s for sure. Especially if I was about to fight somebody.”

Max couldn’t help but be touched by the honesty in Kim’s voice. It made him feel warm. “So what’s that in the bag?” he asked, moving to drop down to the floor so that he could get a better look at it.

Kim looked at him excitedly. “I need you to take off your clothes.”

“That’s my cue,” Nino said, giving them both a lazy salute and heading towards the staff room.

“You need me to, take off my clothes?” Max asked slowly. He glanced back at the ring. He knew that Kim liked to be the spontaneous one in the relationship but this was something new entirely.

“No!” Kim said, waving his free hand in front of him. Max watched a blush spread across his face. “I meant - I didn’t - just your shirt!”

“Just my shirt?” Max asked, unsure of where Kim was going with this. Kim ran a frustrated hand thorugh his hair, his blush getting deeper.

“I mean, you don’t have to take off your shirt right here, it’s just that I got you a new one for tonight.” He opened the bag he’d brought and held out a baby blue shirt in front of him, his arms extended and his smile wide. Then he dropped his arms and moved to stand in front of Max. “I was up last night doing some research, I’m starting to understand why you like it so much, I learned _so_ much stuff about - anyway, I was trying to figure out what the most calming color was. I read some articles saying how green is a very soothing color,” he said, gesturing to the green shirt Max had on, “and green looks amazing on you, by the way, but most of the articles I read said that blue was the _most_ calming color, and I thought that maybe for this match you’d want to try something new.”

Max looked at his flustered mess of a boyfriend, at a loss for words. Kim’s smile faded and he took a step back, running a nervous hand through his hair.

“Thinking about it now, this was probably a lame idea, I mean, you have a perfectly good shirt, and why would you want to do something different right before the match? I guess that doesn’t make -”

Max smiled and pulled Kim into a hug. “I love it,” he said, nuzzling into his boyfriend’s neck a little. He felt Kim relax and breathe a sigh of relief. Then Max pulled away. “I’ll try it on now.” He began to unbutton his shirt. Once it was unbuttoned he looked back up at Kim, whose blush was as red as ever. He smirked and held out his hand, but Kim kept looking at his chest. “Can I have my shirt, please?” Max asked, trying not to laugh. Kim looked at him and realized what he was doing. He laughed nervously and held out the shirt. Max gave him a grin and took it, putting it on.

“You know my size,” Max said, impressed. Kim took a step towards him and fixed his collar.

“With how much I look at you, of course I know your size.” Kim said, lowering his voice. Now it was Max’s turn to blush.

“I hate to interrupt but Dels wanted me to let you know that you’ll get to talk to Ladybug and Chat Noir in the locker room after I interview them. It’s strictly off the record, as you know, but it’ll give you the chance to get to know our rising stars a bit better, get a sense of their personalities.” Alya said, walking into the arena and towards the sound board. She picked up Nino’s phone and pulled it out of the chord it was attached to. Then she looked back up at the two of them and smirked. “Nino also asked me to get his phone. Apparently he was too afraid to come back.” With that she walked back to the staff room, leaving Kim and Max to blush furiously as they watched her go.

“We weren’t doing anything!” Kim called after her, and she just waved her hand in response, not looking back. Kim turned to look at Max and shook his head in disbelief, a smile spreading across his face. Then he picked him up and Max yelped in surprise, wrapping his arms around Kim’s neck in order to steady himself. “But now I’m getting a few ideas,” Kim said, looking down at Max and lifting his eyebrows. Max watched as he glanced at the ring.

“Please don’t,” a voice said from the speakers above them. Kim and Max looked up and saw Adela looking at them from The Booth, microphone in hand. They looked at each other in shock, and then Max began to laugh, covering his face with one of his hands, the other still around the back of Kim’s neck. Kim began to laugh as well, and Max could feel it in his own chest.

He focused on that sound, and realized that this was his favorite kind of music.

He wasn’t afraid about tonight anymore. If anything, he was beginning to feel excited.

 

  

“Yikes, that’s got to hurt,” Kim said, wincing as he watched Ladybug execute a flawless upper cut. Chat Noir took a step back in surprise. Then he smiled and raised his fists once more.

“Chat Noir’s fast, but Ladybug is strong. If he’s not careful she’s going to land a hit that he won’t get up from,” Max said, leaning forward in his chair as he looked down at the ring.

“It almost sounds like you’re rooting for her.” Kim said, glancing at him from his side of the desk. Max could hear his words amplified for the audience to hear.

“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a person in red,” Max said, moving his mic away from his face and sending Kim a wink, who was wearing his red suit jacket tonight. He watched Kim’s eyes widen, a blush appearing on his cheeks, and then he adjusted the mic back towards his face. “If I had to predict who’s going to win this fight, I would say Ladybug is the clear choice. It’s obvious that she’s been training hard for this, and her footwork is perfect.” Max glanced down and saw Alix standing right outside of the ring, her eyes glued to the fight. Her hands were in fists and she seemed to be acting out the moves that Ladybug was doing without realizing it.

“I’m personally a Chat Noir fan,” Kim said, leaning back in his chair. “He’s unpredictable, quick on his feet, and he’s got style.” They watched as Chat Noir dropped to the ground to avoid Ladybug’s fist, and then swept his leg under her. Ladybug jumped out of the way at the last second, but then Chat Noir managed to grab her arm while she was off balance and they both fell, him on top of her. Max could see the grin on his face while Ladybug rolled her eyes, pulling him down so that she was on top of him. She grabbed his arms and had him pinned, one knee on his chest. Chat Noir looked up at her in shock.

Kim pouted and slumped in his chair as Nino counted to ten. Max watched the grin spread across Alix’s face. Then he looked over at Chloe and noticed that she was watching Alix as well, her expression hard to read.

“That’s ten! Ladybug wins!” Nino said, holding Ladybug’s arm up in victory as she moved to stand, smiling at the audience. Chat Noir lifted himself onto his elbows, looking up at his opponent with a soft expression.

“He’s got it bad,” Kim said, and then he realized that the mics were still on. Max watched Ladybug and Chat Noir begin to blush. Kim hastily took off his headset and looked at Max, rubbing his neck and looking sheepish. “Whoops.”

Max smiled and rolled his eyes. “An excellent fight between Ladybug and Chat Noir,” he said into his mic. “I’m confident that I can speak for everyone when I say that I’m looking forward to their future matches. I believe that the two of them still have much more to prove. Have a good night everyone.” With that he took off his headset and sighed, slumping in his seat and running a hand through his hair. He did it. He really did it. And he felt great.

“You were amazing,” Kim said, and Max glanced at him and smiled.

“You were too. We make a good team.”

Kim stood up from his chair and offered his hand. Max gladly took it and got to his feet.

“That was so fun!” Kim said, still holding Max’s hand, a wide smile on his face as he looked down at the crowd. Max watched as Ladybug and Chat Noir headed for the lockers, Chat Noir rubbing his neck sheepishly. “I feel like we’re living the dream, you know?” Kim said, turning to face Max. Max looked up at him and smiled.

“It sure feels like a dream.”

“Excellent work you two,” Adela said, opening the door to The Booth and stepping inside. She moved the mic on her headset away from her face so that she could talk to them properly. “Are you ready to talk to our fighters? Did you decide who’s talking to Ladybug and who’s talking to Chat Noir?”

“I should probably talk to Chat Noir,” Kim said. “I want to apologize for my probably unwelcome piece of commentary.”

“That’s a good idea,” she agreed. Then she leaned in confidingly. “Even though the people in the nosebleed seats could see his heart eyes.” She straightened up, thinking for a moment. “Actually, it kind of reminds me of the way you looked at Max when we -”

“Wow look at the time!” Kim said, leading Max towards the door, “we should head over to the lockers now, din’t want to keep them waiting! Bye Dels!”

Adela looked at Max and gave him a wink. He hid his smirk behind his hand as Kim led him out of the room and down the stairs, towards the lockers.

“Is it okay if you talk to Ladybug? I didn’t mean to decide for us like that.” Kim said.

“Of course. I’m looking forward to congradulating her, and Alix.” Max said, adjusting his glasses as they made their way down the hallway.

“Oh no, am I going to have to deal with a pissed off Chloe?” Kim realized, slowing down. Max laughed and pushed him forward.

“You volunteered,” Max said, and soon they were in front of the locker room. The locker rooms weren’t gendered, but separated into a few separate sections so that fighters could get ready in peace. Ladybug was on the left and Chat Noir was on the right. “Good luck,” Max said, looking at Kim. Kim smiled and squeezed his hand before letting go.

“I’ll see you outside, okay?” Kim said. Then he walked into the section of the lockers on the right. Max took a deep breath and walked to the lockers on the left.

“Max!” A voice yelled, and something collided into Max a second later. Or rather, some _one_.

“Hey, Alix.” Max said, fixing his glasses and smiling at his best friend, who now had an arm slung around his shoulders.

“She was amazing, wasn’t she?” Alix said. She looked energized. “She did everything right. I’ve never had such a great trainee.”

“I think she definitely caught Chat Noir off guard. He’ll have to rethink his approach if he hopes to beat her.”

“Oh he’ll never beat my girl. She’s the type that never loses.” Alix said, leading him further into the locker room.

“About how many hours a week do you train?” Max walked in to see Alya sitting with Ladybug, typing some notes into her phone.

“Oh, maybe fifteen hours a week? I work two other jobs so it can be kind of hectic finding the time to do it all,” Ladybug answered, putting her towel around her neck as she shifted on the bench.

“You work two other jobs?” Alya asked, looking up from her phone. “Dang girl, you’re an inspiration.” Ladybug giggled behind her hand. Then Alya noticed Max. “Sorry, I wanted to ask her a few more questions away from all of the cameras. You’ve got a real star here, Alix.”

Alix crossed her arms and smiled. “I want to say that it’s all because of my amazing coaching, but LB’s a hard worker. This victory is all hers.” Ladybug smiled and wiped the sweat from her brow. She looked proud.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Alya said, standing up. “It was nice to meet you. We should get coffee sometime, you know, if revealing your identity isn’t too much trouble.”

“I’ll see if I can make it work,” Ladybug said, giving her a genuine smile. Alya nodded her head and made her way to the exit.

“And great job today, Max. You killed it.” Alya said, putting a hand on his shoulder before she left.

“So this is off the record stuff?” Ladybug said, pulling her water bottle out of her bag and taking a long drink.

“Yes. Nothing leaves this room. My boss just wanted us to meet you two in order get a better sense of the people we’re commentating on.” Max explained. Alix moved to lean against the lockers in the corner, probably to stay out of the way.

“And by us you mean you and Kim? I’m beginning to think that he’s quite the character.” Ladybug said, a small smirk on her lips.

“You didn’t get that impression when we kidnapped him?” Alix asked.

“You kidnapped my boyfriend?” Max hissed, turning to look at Alix. She simply shrugged.

“It was a mild kidnapping.” Alix said, “and technically he wasn’t your boyfriend at that point.”

Max sighed and put a hand on his forehead. Then he dropped his hand and looked back at Ladybug. “To answer your question, yes, Kim is talking with Chat Noir right now. He’ll probably get to talk to you after your next match.”

“Good. I’m curious to ask him exactly why he’s rooting for Chat Noir instead of me.” There was a mischievous glint in her eye.

“I think he’s drawn to the more impulsive types,” Max explained.

“I’m not so sure. He _is_ dating you, and you seem pretty reliable to me.”

Max laughed. “I can be kind of a mess at times.”

Ladybug took another drink of water. “I’ve come to learn that everyone’s messy.”

“Even you?” Max asked. Ladybug smiled and put down her water bottle.

“Ecspecially me. If only you knew me outside of the ring. I’m not nearly as light on my feet.”

“I can’t help but find that hard to believe.”

“People are surprising. Knowing that was actually what helped me beat Chat Noir.”

“What do you mean?”

Ladybug leaned back on her palms. “When I fight, I see the steps I should take before me, like everything else fades to gray and my next move is in color in front of my eyes. I always make a plan, I always think things through before fighting,” she paused for a moment, “but Chat Noir doesn’t. He just does what feels right. I could tell that much after being in the ring with him for a few moments. I just had to try and not overthink things, and just react. I actually kind of envy Chat for being able to do that so easily.”

“I get what you mean,” Max said. Then he adjusting his glasses and smiled. “I’ve taken enough of your time already. I don’t want to keep here longer than you need to be. Thank you for talking to me.”

Ladybug smiled and stood up, offering her hand. “Thank you for believing that I would win.” Max took her hand and shook it, then he looked over at Alix.

“You’re still coming over to my apartment, right?” Max asked. Alix pushed off of the lockers and walked up to him, slinging her arm around his shoulders once more.

“Of course I am. I promised Kim that I would kick his ass at Mario Kart,” she said. Then she looked at Ladybug. “I’ll see you on Tuesday, okay LB? Take the next couple of days off, you earned it.”

Ladybug nodded her head. “Thanks, Alix. See you later.”

Max waved goodbye and the two of them left the training room. They made it back to where Kim and Max had split up, and Max saw Chloe leaving from the other section of the lockers.

“Hey Chloe,” Max said, giving her a friendly smile. “Chat Noir did a great job today. You trained him well. Even Ladybug was complimenting his instincts.”

“She complimented me?” Chat Noir asked, peeking his head from around the wall and moving to stand next to Chloe. He sounded hopeful. Then Max realized that Alix and Chloe were oddly still, looking at each other uncomfortably. A moment later Chloe seemed to realize that Max had said something and looked at him.

“As she should. Chat Noir is a natural, and Ladybug shouldn’t get too comfortable with her win.” Chloe said, putting a hand on her hip.

“Yeah, the next match is mine,” Chat Noir said, clenching his fist. Then he leaned against the wall, trying to look casual. “So what was this about Ladybug praising my natural abilities -?”

Alix scoffed and took her arm off of Max. “Don’t get too confident. LB won this match easily because your trainee couldn’t stop giving her heart eyes. That’s a kind of weakness that can be explioted every time.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Calling someone’s romantic feelings a weakness, how very like you to say.”

Alix said nothing, and Max noticed that she was clenching her fists. Then she took a deep breath and looked away.

“They’re not a weakness. I know that now,” Alix said quietly, and Chloe looked at her in surprise. “But you should learn how to deal with them better,” she continued, looking at Chat Noir. “That’s not my advice as your enemy, but as another person. Figure out your feelings before you get hurt, physcially or emotionally.” With that she began to walk down the hallway.

Chloe watched her go with wide eyes. It looked like she was at a loss for words. Then she bit her lip and looked away. Max decided to follow Alix before she got too far.

“Hey, so, what was that about?” Max asked, falling into step with her. They walked across the now almost empty arena and headed for the exit door. Alix sighed and crossed her arms.

“We haven’t really talked about this, but Chloe and I used to be close.”

Max thought for a moment. He vaguely remembered Alix talking about spending time with Chloe almost a year ago, but he never thought that they were _close_. If anything he would hear way more stories about how annoying and evil Chloe was. But the more he thought about it, there used to be a time when she would mention Chloe and smile.

Why had they never talked about this before? How could Max have missed this?

“What happened?”

Alix hugged her arms a little more tightly to her chest. “I kind of messed it all up,” she let out a bitter laugh. “Just another day of me being aroace and the rest of the world being...different.”

Max was quiet for a moment. “You had your heart broken.” Alix scoffed and moved to open the exit door, but Max blocked her way. “I’m serious. Losing a friend can hurt just as much as losing a partner. Your feelings are just as legitimate. I can’t even imagine where I’d be if I lost you.” Alix looked at him, not saying anything. She looked more vulnerable than Max had ever seen her. He put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not going to fully understand how I feel, how I love, and I’m not going to fully understand how you feel and love either, even if we’re best friends.” Max began. “But it’s not you against the rest of the world, okay? We’re in this together. I’ve got your back, and you’ve got mine.”

Alix was quiet for another moment, and Max was beginning to think that she was about to cry, but then she smiled and pulled him into a headlock, rubbing his head affectionately with her fist.

“I know that, poindexter. We’re best friends for life. There’s no way you’re backing out of that deal.” She let go of him and he straightened up, fixing his hair a little. “But thanks, I needed that.”

Max smiled and nudged her shoulder. “Let’s go beat Kim at video games and eat way too much ice cream.”

Alix rubbed her hands together. “First one to get Kim to break something out of frustration gets free pizza.”

Max opened the door and looked at her. “You’re on.” They stepped outside and saw Kim waiting for them, a wide grin on his face. Max bit back his smile as he glanced at Alix and saw the evil glint in her eyes.

Kim wasn’t going to know what hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to make them red and blue gays I couldn't help myself.
> 
> Also I love Alix if you couldn't already tell. 
> 
> I hope that you are all having a lovely day :D


End file.
